Heart Disease Archive

Exposure to chemicals called phthalates, found in commonly used plastics, may be linked to a higher risk of dying from cardiovascular disease.

For people with stable angina, which occurs in about two-thirds of people with heart disease, optimal medical therapy is almost always the best treatment. It includes all the medications a person needs to get cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar into a healthy range. Certain medications, including beta blockers, calcium-channel blockers, and nitrates, also help relieve the discomfort of angina.

Reducing added sugar in sweetened beverages and packaged foods may help reduce obesity, diabetes, and heart disease in the United States, which could lead to substantial health care cost savings. Most of the added sugar in the typical American diet comes from sugary beverages, which add extra calories that have no nutritional advantages and may contribute to weight gain. Replacing sugar with artificial or non-nutritive sweeteners is one popular option, but it's not clear that eating such products offers any health advantages. A better option would be to substitute fresh, whole foods such as fruit for processed junk food and to drink sparkling water with a splash of juice instead of a soda.

In aortic stenosis, the heart's aortic valve narrows and can't open fully. In aortic regurgitation, the valve doesn't close properly. The cause may be present at birth (congenital) or acquired later in life, and the problems can occur alone or together.

Strong core muscles—those in the abdomen, back, sides, pelvis, hips, and buttocks—support cardiovascular health by helping people stay active. Easy core exercises include chair stands, standing leg lifts, and walk-and-carry exercises. The latter are especially helpful because they strengthen many muscles at the same time and simulate real-life activities such as carrying groceries or a laundry basket.

Sometimes the presence of atherosclerosis, the disease underlying most heart attacks, is not clear or easily recognized, especially before a heart attack or other crisis happens. In those instances, doctors may rely on a coronary artery calcium (CAC) scan, which measures the amount of calcium in the heart's arteries, high levels of which are associated with cardiovascular disease. The CAC results can help predict a person's risk for heart attack or stroke, even if that person doesn't have obvious risk factors or symptoms.

Swimming (or just dunking) in cold water is generally safe. But people with heart rhythm disorders should be cautious about this practice. The evidence for the health benefits for cold-water immersion (which allegedly include fat loss and reduced inflammation) is limited. Submerging the face in cold water triggers the diving reflex, which causes the heart to slow down and blood pressure to rise. This response, in addition to an adrenaline surge from cold water on the skin, may trigger an underlying arrhythmia.

People who ate healthy plant-based foods had a 10% reduction in stroke risk, compared with people who ate unhealthy plant-based foods, according to a Harvard study published online March 10, 2021, by the journal Neurology.

Drinking no more than four or five 8-ounce cups of coffee per day—equal to about 400 milligrams of caffeine—helps people get the drink's health benefits with a lower risk of caffeine side effects like anxiety and nervousness.