Heart Health Archive

A procedure called TAVR has an easier, shorter recovery and is becoming the go-to treatment for aortic stenosis. But surgery may still be a better choice for some people.

Last April, Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger, 75, underwent a procedure that may soon replace surgery as the best way to treat a failing aortic valve. Called transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), the procedure delivers a new valve to the heart through a catheter that's passed through an artery in the upper leg (see illustration).

Most valve replacements are done to treat aortic stenosis, which usually results from an age-related buildup of calcium deposits on the valve. About 3% to 4% of people ages 75 and older have severe aortic stenosis, which can leave them dizzy, breathless, and tired.

Recent research reignited interest in inflammation, a major player in heart disease.

A buildup of cholesterol-rich plaque inside arteries — known as atherosclerosis — is the root cause of most heart attacks and strokes. Researchers have long recognized that chronic inflammation sparks this artery-damaging process (see "Understanding inflammation"). Now, they're zeroing in on better ways to tackle that aspect of the problem.

Addressing inflammation is vital. Even when people take steps to lower their risks for heart disease, such as reducing their cholesterol and blood pressure, they may still face life-threatening cardiovascular events.

Mung beans are popular in many Asian cuisines, where they're used in soups, curries, savory pancakes, and even desserts. These small, olive-green beans have a white speck at the center. Some say the mild flavor of mung beans is reminiscent of potatoes.

Natural food stores and some conventional grocery stores may carry dried mung beans, either packaged or in bulk bins. But Americans are probably more familiar with mung bean sprouts, which are used in Chinese and Thai stir-fries. You can often find these slender, crunchy white sprouts in the produce section of your supermarket. Studies show that mung bean sprouts contain slightly higher levels of beneficial antioxidants than the unsprouted beans.

Research we're watching

Eating healthy, plant-based proteins such as beans and nuts instead of red meat may lower your odds of heart disease, new research finds.

Researchers analyzed data from 36 trials that involved more than 1,800 people to see how different diets affect cholesterol, blood pressure, and other heart disease risk factors. When they compared diets with red meat to all other types of diets combined, there weren't any notable differences in cholesterol or blood pressure (although red-meat diets did lead to high levels of triglycerides, a type of fat in the blood).

Research we're watching

Hundreds of thousands of people in the United States take prescription niacin (also known as vitamin B3) as part of a regimen to prevent heart disease. But a new analysis that was published April 12 in JAMA Network Open suggests this old drug offers no benefit for most people.

The analysis included 35,760 patients from 17 clinical trials documenting the effect of niacin on at least one cardiovascular disease outcome. About half of the people were taking niacin, and the remainder received placebo, usual care, or other lipid-lowering agents. Over all, niacin was not helpful in preventing any serious heart-related events, strokes, or deaths from heart disease.

Research we're watching

Contrary to observations that moderate drinking (one or two drinks per day) protects against stroke, a new study finds that stroke risk may rise with increasing alcohol intake.

The findings, which were published online April 4 by The Lancet, come from a study involving 160,000 Chinese adults who reported their drinking habits. They also were tested for gene variants common in Asian populations that cause an unpleasant flushing reaction after drinking. Only 2% of women reported drinking alcohol, compared with 33% of men, so the findings focus mainly on men.

Lap swimming is a very effective workout: aerobics, strengthening, and stretching in one activity. Make sure you’re reasonably healthy before diving in, but even if you’re not, or if you don’t know how to swim, aquatic exercises are beneficial, too.

Most Americans don't eat enough fiber, and many people say it's because they are worried about eating too many carbs, but eating the right kind of carbs is the key, and it's not that difficult to meet the recommended daily amount.

Q. After my heart attack, my doctor told me that damaged heart muscle cannot be replaced. If this is true, why am I walking on a treadmill five days a week? Is this helping repair the heart muscle damage or strengthen what's left of my heart muscle?

A. Your skeletal muscles can repair themselves after an injury — pull your calf muscle and, after a few days or so, it heals. Until recently, it was believed that the human heart didn't have this capacity. But the heart does have some ability to make new muscle and possibly repair itself. The rate of regeneration is so slow, though, that it can't fix the kind of damage caused by a heart attack. That's why the rapid healing that follows a heart attack creates scar tissue in place of working muscle tissue.