Heart Health Archive

Avoiding a painful shingles attack is reason enough to get vaccinated, but protecting your heart may be another. A major study found that people who received two doses of the Shingrix vaccine have a 9% lower risk of serious heart-related issues over seven years compared to those who got the old Zostavax vaccine.

A 2026 study found that larger waist measurements increased heart disease-related risks, even among people with normal weight. Obesity with a small waist conferred no greater risks compared to people with normal weight and a small waist.

People with type 2 diabetes or who have a high BMI with a metabolic risk factor (such as a large belly, abnormal lipid levels, or high blood pressure) should be screened for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease, a form of fatty liver disease.

Vascular dementia, which results from brain cell damage due to reduced blood flow, can cause slowed thinking, confusion, and other cognitive changes. Carefully controlling risk factors for cardiovascular disease may help prevent vascular dementia.

Open-heart surgery leaves people with a long chest incision and a lengthy recovery. Most of the precautions that people must follow during the first four to six weeks after surgery are to protect the incision and the breastbone while they heal.

Labile hypertension refers to blood pressure that fluctuates more dramatically than usual. Possible contributors to blood pressure elevations include stress, diet, and medication. Deep sleep and very warm weather can cause blood pressure dips.

For people with excess weight, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease, using the GLP-1 drug tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound) may lower the risk of heart attack, infection, and death from any cause more than taking an older drug, sitagliptin (Januvia), according to a 2026 study.

Men without evidence of low testosterone levels (hypogonadism) who use testosterone appear to face a higher risk of serious cardiovascular problems and death from all causes than men who use testosterone replacement therapy for documented hypogonadism, according to a 2026 study.

Physical activity, even as little as 15 minutes a day of moderate-intensity exercise, is linked with a lower risk of stroke and death in people with atrial fibrillation.

A 2026 analysis suggests that wider drug treatment has narrowed the gap in blood pressure and cholesterol levels for older adults with obesity versus those of normal weight.