Heart Health Archive

A regular yoga practice may help people shed pounds while also improving their heart health. A form of low- to moderate-intensity aerobic exercise, yoga also stretches and strengthens muscles. A 2025 review article suggests that yoga can decrease body mass index, waist circumference, and body fat percentage while also improving blood pressure and cholesterol values.

A healthy diet is a proven and powerful way to lower your risk of heart disease. Since dinner is often the main meal of the day, it's a good time to feature foods that support cardiovascular health. Four Harvard physicians share their favorite healthy dinners, which focus on lean protein (such as tofu, fish, and chicken) and a variety of vegetables.

A 2025 study found that chronic stress is associated with higher stroke risks among women under 50, but not in men.

Direct-to-consumer genetic tests can screen for rare heart conditions that arise from variants in a single gene (such as cardiomyopathies) as well as common conditions influenced by many thousands of gene variants (such as coronary artery disease). But because the results are not definitive, they can be challenging to interpret.

People with very high calcium scores (over 1,000) have a risk of heart attack or stroke similar to those who have already had a heart attack. They should take cholesterol-lowering drugs to bring down LDL levels and possibly undergo additional testing.

A 2025 study found that a pill version of the drug semaglutide, marketed as Rybelsus, can lower the risk for serious heart problems in people who have diabetes as well as cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, or both.

Wildfire smoke contributes greatly to poor air quality, and as wildfires become more frequent due to climate change and drier conditions, more of us and more of our communities are at risk for health harms. Here are ways to cope.