Heart Health

Stephanie Watson

Americans are bringing down their cholesterol levels

Stephanie Watson, Executive Editor, Harvard Women's Health Watch
Fruits-and-vegetables

Over the past decade, the percentage of Americans with high cholesterol has been declining, from 19.1% to 14.3% of women, and 17.2% to 12.2% of men, according to a new report from the National Center for Health Statistics. Where we’re falling short is in checking our cholesterol. About 70% of women and 66% of men had their cholesterol tested in the past 5 years—slightly under the 80% objective. If your numbers aren’t quite where they should be, there are a number of ways you can help bring them back into a healthy range. Many people turn to a statin or other cholesterol-lowering medication. But it makes sense to try diet and exercise first.

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Howard LeWine, M.D.

FDA changes safety information on statin drugs

Howard LeWine, M.D., Chief Medical Editor
Internet Publishing, Harvard Health Publications

A new ruling from the FDA offers good news and some warnings for people who take a cholesterol-lowering statin. The good news—no more periodic blood tests for liver function. The warnings—taking a statin may increase the odds of developing type 2 diabetes or suffering reversible memory loss or problems thinking. The FDA warned that one statin, lovastatin, shouldn’t be taken with some antibiotics, anti-fungal agents, or medications used to treat AIDS.

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Nancy Ferrari

Is there a link between diet soda and heart disease?

Nancy Ferrari, Senior editor, Harvard Health
Pouring-soda

I’m a big fan of diet soda. I like the taste, and I love that it doesn’t have any calories. I can drink two or three diet sodas a day and not worry about gaining weight. But a new study has me wondering if enjoying the sweetness of soda without the sugar and calories is such a good thing after all. University of Miami and Columbia University researchers found that daily diet soda drinkers were more likely to have had a stroke or heart attack over the course of a 10-year study, or to have died from vascular disease, as folks who didn’t imbibe diet soda. My husband gently (but persistently) tells me there is nothing good about drinking diet soda, not even the taste I claim to enjoy so much. The evidence seems to be backing him up.

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P.J. Skerrett

The science behind “broken heart syndrome”

P.J. Skerrett, Senior editor, Harvard Health
Broken-heart

Media reports describing “broken heart syndrome” often lump together two completely different conditions. One is stress cardiomyopathy, sometimes known as takotsubo cardiomyopathy. The other is myocardial infarction, better known as a heart attack. A huge sudden stress—like news that a loved one has died, experiencing an earthquake, or learning that your accountant has stolen all of your retirement savings—unleashes a torrent of stress hormones that can trigger one of those conditions. Stress cardiomyopathy is a weakening of the left ventricle, the heart’s main pumping chamber. Over the course of a week or longer, the left ventricle tends to recover its pumping power. Heart attacks occur when something—usually a blood clot—blocks blood flow to part of the heart muscle.

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P.J. Skerrett

Everyday foods are top 10 sources of sodium

P.J. Skerrett, Senior editor, Harvard Health
Pretzel

A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that just 10 types of deliver almost half of the average American’s daily sodium. Topping the list are breads and rolls, cold cuts, pizza, poultry, and soups. Almost two-thirds of our daily sodium comes from food bought in stores, and one-quarter comes from food bought in restaurants (which includes fast-food shops and pizza places).The report also showed that Americans take in an average of 3,266 milligrams of sodium a day (about 1½ teaspoons of salt), well above the healthy target of 2,300 milligrams a day. As a nation, cutting back on salt by an average of 400 milligrams a day could prevent 28,000 deaths a year and save $7 billion in health care costs.

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P.J. Skerrett

Different blood pressure in right and left arms could signal trouble

P.J. Skerrett, Senior editor, Harvard Health

Most doctors and nurses measure blood pressure in one arm. A new British study published in The Lancet suggests that measuring it in both arms may be better. A difference in the arm-to-arm readings of 10 points or more can signal circulatory problems that may lead to stroke, peripheral artery disease, or other cardiovascular problems. In older people, an arm-to-arm difference in blood pressure is usually due to a blockage arising from atherosclerosis, the artery-clogging disease process that is at the root of most cardiovascular conditions. Next time you have your blood pressure checked, ask the doctor or nurse to do it on both arms. If there’s a difference greater than 10 point, another test called the ankle-brachial index might be in order to check for peripheral artery disease.

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Howard LeWine, M.D.

Heart’s “fountain of youth” starts flowing early

Howard LeWine, M.D., Chief Medical Editor
Internet Publishing, Harvard Health Publications
Heart-on-fire

If you want to have a healthy heart in your senior years, take care of it while you’re young. In a large study, researchers from Northwestern University found that a 45-year-old man who had normal blood pressure and cholesterol levels, who didn’t smoke, and who didn’t have diabetes had just a 1.4% chance of having a heart attack or stroke during the rest of his life. Having one major risk factor boosted the risk 20-fold. The results were similar for men and women, blacks and whites. Lead researcher Donald Lloyd-Jones said that making it to middle age with no heart disease risk factors is like “the fountain of youth for your heart.”

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Lloyd Resnick

Let’s protect a million hearts—including yours

Lloyd Resnick, Editor, Harvard Health
Million Hearts logo

A bold initiative called Million Hearts aims to prevent one million heart attacks and strokes from happening over the next five years. As explained in the Harvard Heart Letter, the initiative is spearheaded by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Its main focus is to encourage more widespread and appropriate use of simple, effective, and inexpensive heart-protecting actions, dubbed the ABCS. These include taking daily low-dose Aspirin, if prescribed; managing Blood pressure and Cholesterol levels; quitting Smoking. The Harvard Heart Letter adds D for Diet and E for Exercise.

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Lloyd Resnick

Should kids have their cholesterol checked?

Lloyd Resnick, Editor, Harvard Health
Boy-eating-pizza

New guidelines for from the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend that all kids between the ages of 9 and 11 have their LDL (bad) cholesterol levels checked. The rationale is that atherosclerosis (the fatty gunk in arteries that causes heart attacks, strokes, and other serious problems) starts during youth. Atherosclerosis is fed by high LDL. The guidelines aren’t aimed at getting kids to take cholesterol-lowering statins. Instead, they are about getting kids, their parents, and their doctors to talk about making healthy lifestyle choices. The hope is that more doctor time spent coaching and counseling now will mean less time treating cardiovascular disease later.

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Howard LeWine, M.D.

Increase in resting heart rate is a signal worth watching

Howard LeWine, M.D., Chief Medical Editor
Internet Publishing, Harvard Health Publications

Your resting heart rate is how fast your heart beats when you’ve been sitting quietly for a while. The usual range is between 60 and 90 beats per minute. A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests that an increase in this rate over time may be a signal of heart trouble ahead. The results also suggested that lowering your heart rate over time may be beneficial, but the researchers could not say that for certain. Exercise, stress reduction, and quitting smoking can help reduce a high resting heart rate.

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