Heart Health Archive

An enlarged heart, or cardiomegaly, can result from a range of conditions, including high blood pressure, inherited heart diseases, or problems with the heart's valves.

A study based on data from the Women's Health Initiative suggests that a high resting heart rate is an indicator of risk of heart attack in middle-aged women.

A plant-based Mediterranean meal featuring vegetables, mushrooms, beans, and whole grains prepared with olive oil is a heart-friendly dinner option.

No amount of alcohol, including red wine, is good for the heart, according to a policy brief from the World Heart Federation. Drinking, even in moderation, increases the risk for heart-related conditions such as hypertension, heart failure, stroke, cardiomyopathy (a disease of the heart muscle), aortic aneurysm (a dangerous bulge in the wall of the aorta), and atrial fibrillation (an irregular heart rhythm). People who drink regularly might benefit from reducing their intake.

Cardiac rehabilitation and cardiovascular wellness programs can help people change unhealthy habits, reduce heart attack risk, and boost longevity. They are typically offered in group sessions, and in an outpatient hospital or community setting. Cardiac rehab is intended for people who've had a heart attack, heart bypass surgery, a heart or heart and lung transplant, stenting to open arteries, or valve surgery, as well as those with chronic chest pain (angina) or certain kinds of heart failure. Cardiovascular wellness programs are meant for people who don't qualify for cardiac rehab but want to improve their heart and blood vessel health.

High doses of the popular pain reliever acetaminophen (Tylenol) may raise blood pressure when taken for two weeks.

Someone who has a transient ischemic attack (TIA, or ministroke) needs prompt testing to look for the underlying cause. A 2022 study shows that people can safely get that evaluation at a specialized outpatient clinic rather than having to be admitted to the hospital. The testing usually includes a heart ultrasound (echocardiogram), cardiac monitoring, and imaging tests. The results guide targeted stroke-prevention treatments, which can reduce the risk of a future stroke by as much as 80%.

Up to 10% of people with high blood pressure have secondary hypertension, which is caused by another condition or disease. The most common of these involve problems with the adrenal glands (hyperaldosteronism), or the arteries supplying the kidneys (renal artery stenosis). People most likely to have secondary hypertension include those with resistant hypertension who use three or more medications to manage their blood pressure, and people who develop hypertension before age 30.

If most middle-aged and older American adults added just 10 to 20 minutes of moderate exercise to their normal daily activities, it could prevent an estimated 110,000 to 209,000 premature deaths each year.