Heart Health Archive

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.

A study published Jan. 18, 2022, in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that people who consumed the most olive oil had a 19% lower risk of dying during a 28-year study period, compared with those who rarely or never consumed olive oil.

Watching television for four or more hours a day is linked to a higher risk of developing dangerous blood clots.

Using salt substitutes containing potassium chloride instead of using sodium chloride (table salt) may help reduce heart attack and stroke risk. A Harvard study published online Nov. 13, 2021, by The New England Journal of Medicine found that people who consumed the most sodium chloride had a 60% higher risk of a major cardiovascular event (a heart attack, a stroke, cardiac stent placement, or surgery) compared with those who consumed the least. People who consumed the most potassium chloride had a 31% lower risk of a major cardiovascular event compared with the people who consumed the least.

Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) can help diagnose unusual causes of breathlessness, such as pulmonary hypertension or heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. CPET collects information about a person's heart and lung function to assess how the body responds to exercise. It may also help doctors better understand the lingering fatigue and breathlessness that sometimes occur after a COVID-19 infection.

Consuming just a half-tablespoon or more of olive oil a day is linked to a lower risk of dying from heart disease and other chronic health conditions.

The FDA will allow companies to make certain health claims regarding the consumption of magnesium and a reduced risk of high blood pressure. But the evidence for the link is inconclusive and inconsistent.

Heart attacks occur when a blocked coronary artery prevents blood flow to part of the heart. Cardiac arrest is caused by an electrical misfire that causes the heart to abruptly stop beating.