Heart Health Archive

Here's what you need to know about the discovery of contaminants in a popular class of heart medications.

Last summer, a number of prescription medications containing the generic drug valsartan were recalled by manufacturers after investigators found trace amounts of possible cancer-causing impurities in some of the products. Over the following months, additional lots of valsartan, as well as batches of two similar drugs, losartan and irbesartan, were also pulled from pharmacy shelves.

All three of these drugs belong to a class of medications known as angiotensin-receptor blockers, or ARBs. These drugs block the effects of a hormone that narrows blood vessels and are used to treat high blood pressure and heart failure. The recalled products also include combination drugs that contain one of those three ARBs. (See "Medication recall information" for accessing the list of affected products.)

Your genetic background and cultural identity are both important, but they're only part of the story.

In recent years, many people curious about their heritage have done at-home DNA tests such as those sold by 23andMe or Ancestry. By analyzing variations in your DNA, the tests can reveal where your distant ancestors may have lived, providing clues to your racial and ethnic heritage. These results are usually presented in percentages by geographic location — for example, Western Europe, Northern Africa, Central America, and Southern Asia.

But does that information reveal any hints about your risk of cardiovascular disease? In the United States, certain racial and ethnic groups face a higher risk of dying from heart disease than others. The latest statistics from the American Heart Association show the highest risk among blacks. Non-Hispanic whites are second, with the lowest risk seen among Hispanics (see "Ethnic and race categories in the United States").

Lentils are tiny, lens-shaped legumes that come in array of colors, including yellow, red, green, brown, and black. Compared with other legumes, lentils are particularly rich in compounds known as polyphenols. These plant-based micronutrients are thought to help protect against cardiovascular disease.

Another advantage to lentils is that you don't need to soak them in advance, as is necessary with beans. And they cook quickly — usually in about 20 minutes or less. In fact, red lentils (which are actually orange) cook in just five minutes. Add one cup of lentils to three cups of water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Once the water boils, the lentils are ready; you can then drain, rinse in cool water, and use them in salads. If you cook red lentils longer, they turn yellow and become very soft, with a smooth, pureed texture.

Research we're watching

Even if you're at a healthy weight, being out of shape may increase your risk of heart disease just as much as if you were overweight, a study in the March 1 Journal of the American College of Cardiology reports.

The study included data from people ages 40 to 79 who were at a healthy weight or overweight based on their body mass index (see www.health.harvard.edu/bmi for a calculator). The participants also provided information about their exercise habits, how long they sat each day, and whether they ever felt short of breath when hurrying or walking up a slight hill.

Research we're watching

People with heart disease who leave the hospital with a prescription for opioids may be more likely to miss follow-up care than those not prescribed opioids, a new study finds.

The study included nearly 2,500 people (mostly white men with an average age of 60) who were discharged from a university medical center after a heart attack or sudden heart failure. One in five were prescribed the powerful pain relievers known as opioids. Those people were less likely to follow up with their health care provider or to participate in cardiac rehabilitation than those not prescribed opioids.

Research we're watching

A near-daily serving of nuts may lower the risk of cardiovascular disease in people with type 2 diabetes, new research suggests. The study, published online February 19 by Circulation Research, relied on diet surveys from more than 16,000 people before and after they were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, a condition that elevates the risk of heart disease. Researchers asked them about their nut-eating habits over a period of several years. People who ate five servings of nuts per week had a 17% lower risk of cardiovascular disease compared with those who ate less than a serving per week.

Chock full of unsaturated fat, fiber, and minerals, nuts can help control blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol. Tree nuts, which include walnuts, almonds, and pistachios, seemed to offer the strongest benefits in the study. Peanuts, which aren't technically nuts but legumes, weren't quite as healthy. While this study can't prove cause and effect, eating a small handful of unsalted nuts on most days will likely help your heart, even if you don't have diabetes.

Are you doing everything you can to keep your heart healthy?

After decades of steady decline, the number of deaths from cardiovascular disease (CVD) has risen over the past few years, according to the American Heart Association.

The good news is that an estimated 80% of all CVD cases — heart disease, heart attack, heart failure, and stroke — can be prevented. The key is to control high blood pressure and high cholesterol and to maintain healthy habits, such as exercising regularly, eating a plant-based diet, getting enough sleep, and not smoking.

Research we're watching

Sleep has long been known to help protect you against heart disease, and researchers now think they know at least one reason why. A study published online February 13 by the journal Nature looked at how sleep duration and quality relates to the buildup of damaging plaque in the arteries.

Harvard Medical School researchers found that a lack of good sleep boosts the body's production of inflammatory white blood cells that earlier research has linked to fatty buildup in the arteries. This could help explain why sleep problems can lead to arterial buildup. Poor sleep is linked not only to clogged arteries, but also to a host of chronic health conditions, such as cancer, obesity, and diabetes — all good reasons to make sure you get your z's.