Hantavirus explained: What to know after the cruise ship outbreak
Stay strong at any age with 4 basic exercises
Why testosterone levels drop and when to consider treatment
Don't count on daily aspirin to prevent colon cancer
Night owls' habits linked to worse heart health
After ablation, exercise may lower atrial fibrillation recurrence
What can cause an enlarged heart?
Women's unique risks for heart disease
Chronic kidney disease: A hidden threat to your heart
Navigating your online patient portal: Best practices
Heart Health Archive
Articles
Telehealth may help maintain healthy blood pressure
Telehealth visits combined with home monitoring may be an effective way to help people reach and maintain their blood pressure goals, according to a 2025 study.
A faster, more accurate way to diagnose heart disease?
Coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) creates a 3D image of the heart and its blood vessels, revealing both obstructive and nonobstructive plaque. Most heart attacks occur when smaller, nonobstructive plaques rupture and form a clot that triggers a heart attack. Used to assess people with stable angina, CCTA may prevent heart attacks by improving how cardiologists find and treat heart disease.
"Fatty" muscles may point to a higher risk of heart disease
A 2025 studyfound that intermuscular fat-fat stored within muscle tissue-may increase a person's risk of heart disease.
How well do TV medical dramas portray heart disease?
TV medical dramas often portray treatments for heart attacks and cardiac arrest. While the timelines are often accelerated and certain aspects may be dramatized to engage viewers, the medical details are, for the most part, factual and authentic. Writers and producers routinely rely on health care experts - including Harvard doctors - to make sure the information is accurate. For people with heart disease, seeing how emergency physicians treat urgent conditions may show them what to expect.
Replacing sitting with standing and walking improves cholesterol
A 2025 study found that in people who are overweight or obese, substituting standing and light walking in place of sitting may help improve blood levels of certain types of fats, including triglycerides and small, dense LDL cholesterol particles.
New insights about the risks from a "hole" in the heart
About 25% of people have a common heart variant called a patent foramen ovale (PFO), a flaplike opening between the heart's upper chambers. In people with the condition, venous blood can leak across the heart from the right atrium to the left atrium, bypassing the lungs. If that blood contains a clot, it can travel directly to the arteries that send blood throughout the body. A stroke can occur if that clot lodges in an artery supplying the brain. In people prone to blood clots, a PFO raises the risk of stroke and dementia.
Tick season is expanding: Protect yourself against Lyme disease
With ticks thriving in a wider geographic range, appearing earlier and sticking around later, it's important to stay vigilant about protecting yourself against ticks that cause Lyme disease and other illnesses. Learn some steps you can take to avoid tick bites.
Less butter, more plant oils, longer life?
Long-term research found that higher consumption of butter increases mortality risk, while higher consumption of plant-based oil lowers it. And substituting certain plant oils for butter might help people live longer. What's a butter lover to do?
Cigar, pipe, and smokeless tobacco use linked to distinct heart risks
Using tobacco in cigars, pipes, or smokeless products such as snuff is associated with distinct heart-related risks.
Hantavirus explained: What to know after the cruise ship outbreak
Stay strong at any age with 4 basic exercises
Why testosterone levels drop and when to consider treatment
Don't count on daily aspirin to prevent colon cancer
Night owls' habits linked to worse heart health
After ablation, exercise may lower atrial fibrillation recurrence
What can cause an enlarged heart?
Women's unique risks for heart disease
Chronic kidney disease: A hidden threat to your heart
Navigating your online patient portal: Best practices
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