Recent Blog Articles
A muscle-building obsession in boys: What to know and do
Harvard Health Ad Watch: New drug, old song, clever tagline
Concussion in children: What to know and do
What color is your tongue? What's healthy, what's not?
Your amazing parathyroid glands
When — and how — should you be screened for colon cancer?
Co-regulation: Helping children and teens navigate big emotions
Dog bites: How to prevent or treat them
Will miscarriage care remain available?
Can AI answer medical questions better than your doctor?
Heart Health Archive
Articles
Does coffee help or harm your heart?
Drinking coffee does not appear to increase the risk of heart rhythm problems, such as atrial fibrillation, in healthy people. It may temporarily raise blood pressure and the number of non-harmful skipped beats. While it may have other minor mixed positive and negative effects on other heart-related factors and behaviors (such as increased daily step counts, but decreased sleep duration and slightly higher LDL cholesterol), moderate coffee consumption appears to have no impact on the overall risk of cardiovascular disease.
Talk therapy for depression may help lower heart disease risk
For people with depression, successful treatment with talk therapy may lower the risk for heart disease, perhaps by helping them adopt healthier habits, according to a 2023 study.
Move of the month: Pull-down
Using stretchy bands (known as exercise bands or resistance bands) can be a good way to ease into strength training. Pull-downs target the muscles of the middle and lower back and the front of the upper arms.
Living longer, free of heart disease?
Lifestyle habits to prevent heart disease and strokes may also lower a person's risk for two other leading causes of death: cancer and dementia.
Salty diet linked to narrowed arteries in the heart and neck
The more salt people eat, the greater their risk of clogged heart and neck arteries, a 2023 study suggests. Narrowed arteries (atherosclerosis) can lead to heart attacks and strokes.
Move of the month: Stationary lunge
Lunges, which strengthen the entire lower body, are a good example of a functional exercise. These exercises mimic everyday actions (such as picking something up off the floor), thereby improving physical functioning throughout the day.
COVID-19's cardiac legacy: An update
COVID-19 may increase the risk of cardiovascular problems, including heart attack, stroke, pulmonary embolism, atrial fibrillation, and heart failure, up to a year after the infection. But vaccination appears to lower these risks. Getting just one dose of a COVID vaccine may halve the risk of myocarditis, a rare condition that causes inflammation of the heart muscle that can arise after viral infections.
Statins may have no effect on exercise pain
A common complaint among statin users is that the drugs increase pain during and after exercise. A 2023 study suggests statins won't exacerbate usual muscle symptoms from moderate-intensity exercise.
Exercise may improve atrial fibrillation
A 2023 study found that for people with atrial fibrillation, a program of supervised and home-based exercise may reduce the severity and frequency of their symptoms.
Heart failure risk in people with diabetes who take certain pain relievers
People with diabetes who take pain relievers known as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may be at higher risk of heart failure, according to a 2023 study. NSAIDs include ibuprofen, which is sold over the counter as Advil and Motrin.
Recent Blog Articles
A muscle-building obsession in boys: What to know and do
Harvard Health Ad Watch: New drug, old song, clever tagline
Concussion in children: What to know and do
What color is your tongue? What's healthy, what's not?
Your amazing parathyroid glands
When — and how — should you be screened for colon cancer?
Co-regulation: Helping children and teens navigate big emotions
Dog bites: How to prevent or treat them
Will miscarriage care remain available?
Can AI answer medical questions better than your doctor?
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