Heart Health Archive

Heart-healthy Valentine's Day gift ideas include products and experiences designed to make it easier and more enjoyable to follow the key tenets of a healthy lifestyle: eating well, getting regular exercise, sleeping soundly, and managing stress. Examples include strawberries dipped in dark chocolate, a cooking class, custom-fit sneakers, luxury sleep products, and a subscription to a meditation app.

Although doctors and patients rarely talk about it, cardiovascular disease and its treatment can affect sexual function. Atherosclerosis can affect arteries that supply blood to the genitals, and high blood pressure medication can cause sexual side effects. Certain medications used to treat common sexual issues (namely, erectile dysfunction drugs and some types of estrogen) may be unsafe for some people with heart disease.

Broken heart syndrome (officially known as takotsubo syndrome) causes symptoms similar to a heart attack. While intense emotional stress can trigger the condition, physical stressors such as surgery or severe illness are more common causes. Most cases occur in women, but proportion of cases recognized in men has risen in recent decades. Most people fully recover within weeks to months. But those who also have other serious health conditions may face a higher risk of dying within two months after being diagnosed with takotsubo syndrome.

About two-thirds of people over 65 have periodontal disease, which is linked to a higher risk of heart disease. Shared risk factors such as smoking and an unhealthy diet may explain the association, but bacteria and inflammation could be a common thread. The bacteria responsible for periodontal disease can travel to blood vessels throughout the body and have been found in the fatty debris (atherosclerosis) that clogs arteries located far from the mouth-and in blood clots from people who have experienced heart attacks.

Anti-obesity drugs, which can lead to dramatic weight loss, may improve symptoms of sleep apnea. This serious breathing disorder raises the odds of high blood pressure, heart attack, and stroke. Excess weight is the strongest risk factor linked with sleep apnea, which affects about 25% of men and 10% of women in the United States. Extra fat tissue in the neck and throat can narrow the airway, and extra weight on the chest and belly puts pressure on the lungs, which makes the normal process of inhaling and exhaling less effective.

Virtual personalized coaching about reducing heart-related risks before heart surgery may reduce complications after surgery, a 2024 study found. Delivered via smartphone, "teleprehabilitation" offers advice on smoking cessation, nutrition, and exercise.

Choosing seafood that's lower on the food chain (such as herring, sardines, clams, and oysters) is beneficial for both cardiovascular health and the health of the environment. Finfish, crustaceans, mollusks, cephalopods, aquatic plants, and seaweed are all considered aquatic foods. Replacing terrestrial animal proteins such as beef, pork, and chicken (especially processed forms) with aquatic foods helps people eat less saturated fat and more omega-3 fatty acids. Also, producing aquatic foods generates far fewer greenhouse gases than producing terrestrial foods.

Letting your arm dangle or rest in your lap (instead of being supported at heart level, as is recommended) during a blood pressure check can cause a falsely high reading, according to a 2024 study.

According to a 2024 study, eating foods rich in beneficial plant compounds called flavonoids may lower the risk of atherosclerosis in the arteries of the legs and neck. Good sources of flavonoids include tea, apples, pears, peaches, and oranges.