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.

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.

Tiny mesh tubes called stents, used to prop open heart arteries, can relieve stable angina (chest pain with exertion or emotional stress) in many people with coronary artery disease. But this treatment-which carries a risk of complications and a high cost-should be reserved only for people who don't get relief from drug therapy. Stents do not prevent future heart attacks or improve survival compared with drug therapy. Angina usually results from arteries that are more than 70% blocked, but most heart attacks occur in arteries that are narrowed by only about 40% or less but harbor plaque that ruptures without warning. The resulting blood clot blocks blood flow, triggering a heart attack.

Clinical trials are under way using gene therapy to treat inherited cardiovascular conditions, including familial hypercholesterolemia (one form of abnormally high cholesterol), hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (a type of heart muscle disease), and transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (a form of heart failure resulting from amyloid deposits). But challenges remain in developing and delivering these therapies.

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.

Replacing just five minutes of sitting with moderate-to-vigorous physical activity may lead to tangible improvements in cardiovascular health. Adding longer, more intense bouts of exercise can reap greater rewards. But even modest changes such as replacing sitting with standing may lead to positive changes in health parameters, including improvements in body mass index, waist circumference, cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood sugar levels.

Many studies suggest that fiber-rich diets may help prevent heart disease. But most Americans eat only about 16 grams of fiber a day-far less than the recommended amounts.

The weight-loss drug semaglutide is the first obesity treatment shown to help people live longer and have fewer cardiovascular problems. Developed as a drug for type 2 diabetes, semaglutide was first marketed as Ozempic; a higher-dose version for weight loss is called Wegovy. But because the drug is so popular, it can be hard to find, and it might not be covered by insurance.

The carotid arteries, which run up the sides of the neck, can become clogged with plaque-a condition called carotid stenosis. But a carotid artery ultrasound to look for this problem is advisable in only a few specific circumstances, mostly in people with signs or symptoms of carotid stenosis. One sign is a distinctive whooshing sound called a bruit that a doctor can hear through a stethoscope placed over the artery. The tests are also routine in people who experience symptoms of a transient ischemic attack (TIA), or ministroke, which usually last only briefly.

When people with atrial fibrillation sleep poorly, they may be more likely to have an episode of atrial fibrillation the next day, according to a 2023 study.