Heart Health Archive

A 2023 study suggests that moving, standing, or even sleeping are all better than sitting for people's weight, waistlines, and heart health.

About a third of healthy people-and about 60% of people with high blood pressure-are salt sensitive, meaning they have an exaggerated response to dietary sodium. But an estimated one in 10 people may have inverse salt sensitivity: their blood pressure goes up when they eat less salt. Understanding the genetic basis of these differences may one day improve the treatment of blood pressure.

A long-term study published in 2023 found that watching lots of television during young adulthood was linked to increased rates of obesity and other factors that raise heart disease risk in midlife.

Aortic stenosis occurs when the heart's aortic valve becomes stiff and calcified, narrowing its opening so blood cannot flow normally. This can cause symptoms such as shortness of breath, fatigue, lightheadedness, fainting, and chest tightness. Neither lifestyle nor medications can slow or reverse aortic stenosis. People born with a bicuspid aortic valve are at high risk, but most people with aortic stenosis have a normal appearing valve. The only treatment is to replace the damaged valve using open heart surgery or a less invasive, nonsurgical approach called transcatheter aortic valve implantation.

A 2023 study suggests replacing a daily serving of processed meats with whole grains, nuts, or beans is associated with lower odds of cardiovascular conditions such as heart attack or stroke.

A 2023 study suggests that following a healthy vegan diet may improve cardiometabolic risk factors (such as LDL cholesterol and weight) more than eating even a healthy omnivorous diet.

People whose spouses have high blood pressure may be more likely to have high blood pressure themselves than people whose spouses do not have the condition, according to a 2023 study.

Calcium deposits in the coronary arteries surrounding the heart may be a sign of fatty plaque buildup in arteries. Dietary calcium is not a cause of these calcium deposits. While people can't reverse the effect of calcium deposits, they can slow the process by managing blood pressure and "bad" LDL cholesterol.

The PREVENT equation is a new online calculator to predict a person's odds of developing heart disease. Compared to previous calculators, the updated tool considers broader measures of health (including biomarkers for kidney and metabolic health) and a longer age span (starting at 30 instead of 40 years of age). The goal is to encourage earlier, more targeted strategies to help people avoid cardiovascular problems.