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Heart Attack Archive
Articles
Health by the numbers
People with fluctuating numbers — like blood pressure, cholesterol, and weight — may be at higher risk of heart attack, stroke, and even death.
 Image: © RapidEye/Getty Images
Most people battle "yo-yoing" at some point, when their weight, blood pressure, or some other health number keeps going up and down.
On the surface, this may not seem like a problem if you routinely hit the healthy numbers. Yet new research suggests that fluctuations like this may pose a greater health risk than staying at a single level, even if it's not a perfect one.
Fish oil and vitamin D supplements might offer some health benefits
In the journals
Vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acid supplements have had mixed results when it comes to preventing heart attacks, strokes, and cancer in people who have already developed these problems or are at high risk for them. Yet a new study published online Nov. 10, 2018, by The New England Journal of Medicine found they may actually prevent these conditions among people who have never had these problems before.
Researchers recruited almost 26,000 people, ages 50 and older, who had no history of heart disease or cancer. The participants were divided into four groups. People in one group were given daily doses of 2,000 international units of vitamin D (an amount found to be linked to lower disease risk in observational studies) and 1 gram of a drug called Lovaza, which contained 840 milligrams of omega-3s (two to four times the amount in two servings of fish per week). The second group took vitamin D and a placebo, the third group took the omega-3s and a placebo, and the final group took two placebos. After more than five years, the researchers found that those given omega-3s were 28% less likely to suffer a heart attack compared with those given a placebo. Those who ate fewer servings of fish (less than the average of 1.5 servings per week) appeared to have a greater benefit from the additional omega-3s while those with higher fish intake had minimal benefit.
Are workouts safe after a heart attack?
Ask the doctors
Q. My partner recently had a heart attack. The doctor recommended exercise, but I wonder if it's better to take it easy. I feel like exercise might be dangerous or even cause another heart attack. Is exercising too risky?
A. As counterintuitive as it might seem, exercise is good medicine for heart attack survivors. Provided the doctor gives the green light, about two-and-a-half hours of moderate-intensity exercise each week can be beneficial — this is the amount recommended by the American Heart Association. Exercise can start as soon as the doctor gives the okay.
A different kind of heart attack
A "type 2" heart attack caused by severely restricted blood flow can be just as serious as a heart attack caused by a sudden complete blockage.
 Image: © PeopleImages/Getty Images
In TV shows and movies, a man having a heart attack typically clutches his chest and falls to the ground, but most heart attacks are not nearly as dramatic.
"No two heart attacks are the same, nor do they strike in similar fashion," says Dr. Krishna Aragam, a cardiologist with Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital. "Some heart attacks are subtler in their warnings, but can be just as serious and even deadly if they are not attended to."
Does your Achilles tendon offer clues to your heart health?
Research we're watching
 Image: © pashapixel/Getty Images
A tendon that stretches between your heel and your calf may tell you something about your cardiovascular health. Researchers found that people with thicker Achilles tendons have more significant coronary artery disease and are at higher risk for a heart attack than those with thinner tendons.
The study, which was presented in November 2018 at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions meeting in Chicago, found that people with thicker Achilles tendons were more likely to have a blocked heart artery and left main coronary artery disease, which is associated with a high risk of heart disease and death. It's unclear, however, exactly why this artery was thicker in these individuals.
Vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids supplements fall short when it comes to disease prevention
 Image: © Hunterann/Thinkstock
Research we're watching
For years, many have speculated that taking vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acid supplements might help to prevent heart attacks, strokes, and certain cancers. But a study by Harvard researchers published online November 10, 2018, by The New England Journal of Medicine has found that the benefits may be more limited than originally hoped.
The results of the Vitamin D and Omega-3 Trial (VITAL), which enrolled more than 25,000 people and ran for more than five years, showed that while omega-3 supplements did appear to reduce the risk of heart attack, particularly among African Americans, they did not appear to be effective in preventing stroke or cancer. Vitamin D supplements also saw few benefits when it came to preventing heart attack, stroke, or cancer — but they were associated with a drop in cancer deaths in people who had taken the supplements for at least a year or two.
E-cigarettes boost the risk of heart attack
Research we're watching
 Image: © Neydtstock/Getty Images
Electronic cigarettes, which are battery-operated devices that create a nicotine-filled vapor, are often touted as a less-risky alternative to conventional cigarettes. But daily e-cigarette use may nearly double a person's risk of a heart attack, according to a study in the October 2018 American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
The data came from nearly 70,000 people who took part in two National Health Interview Surveys. Compared with nonsmokers, people who smoked regular cigarettes daily nearly tripled their heart attack risk, compared with a nearly doubled risk among people who used only e-cigarettes. However, about two-thirds of current e-cigarette users also smoked regular cigarettes. Using both products daily was linked to a nearly fivefold increase in heart attack risk.
Certain pain relievers could harm your heart
But use is primarily a concern for people who take them over a long period or who have certain health risks.
 Image: © clu/Getty Images
Numerous studies in recent years have raised concerns that common pain relievers known as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) increase the risk of cardiovascular problems, such as heart attack and stroke.
A study published September 4 in The BMJ seems to confirm the risks associated with NSAIDs and notes that one medication in particular — diclofenac (Voltaren) — is associated with even higher risks to cardiovascular health than others in the same category.
Low-dose aspirin might not benefit healthy adults
Research we're watching
 Image: © dszc/Getty Images
Taking a low-dose aspirin every day could bring more risks than health benefits to healthy older adults, according to three papers from a single study, published online September 16 by The New England Journal of Medicine. The study, which began in 2010, included more than 19,000 adults ages 65 and older in the United States and Australia, who were free of cardiovascular disease, dementia, or disability, and followed participants for 4.7 years on average. Researchers found that treatment with a daily low-dose aspirin did not prevent dementia or disability. And rates of cardiovascular events (such as heart attacks and stroke) were similar between participants who took low-dose aspirin therapy and the comparison group that did not. While health outcomes were largely the same, people in the aspirin group were more likely than those who were not taking daily aspirin to experience significant bleeding, both in the gastrointestinal tract and the brain — a known risk of aspirin therapy.
While low-dose aspirin does not appear to benefit healthy older adults, this does not apply to people with known cardiovascular disease. For them, aspirin therapy significantly decreases risk of heart attack and stroke.
Is aspirin best for peripheral artery disease?
Ask the doctor
 Image: © Jeng_Niamwhan/Getty Images
Q. Is there something stronger than aspirin I can take for peripheral artery disease in my legs?
A. People with peripheral artery disease (PAD) in the legs have blockages (plaques of atherosclerosis) in the arteries that impair the flow of blood. Based on large scientific studies involving over 5,000 people with PAD, authorities recommend taking a daily aspirin tablet. For people with PAD, smoking cessation, regular exercise, and often other medicines such as statins, can help prevent further plaque buildup and decrease symptoms.
Recent Blog Articles
Which migraine medications are most helpful?
Want a calmer brain? Try this
Do tattoos cause lymphoma?
PTSD: How is treatment changing?
Concussion in children: What to know and do
Ever hear of tonsil stones?
Midlife ADHD? Coping strategies that can help
Ever worry about your gambling?
Color-changing eye drops: Are they safe?
Harvard Health Ad Watch: Got side effects? There's a medicine for that
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