Heart Health Archive

Research we're watching

Walnuts are loaded with folate, vitamin E, and lots of good fats. Although they are also high in calories, they don't seem to contribute to weight gain. Researchers at Yale University Prevention Research Center wanted to determine if eating walnuts daily could help people at risk for diabetes control their cholesterol and blood sugar.

The researchers randomly assigned 112 people ages 25 to 75—70% of whom were women—to two groups. People in both groups were given 2 ounces of walnuts to eat daily. They were told to eat whatever else they wanted but to keep a record of what they ate. One group was also told to eat 366 fewer calories from other food to compensate for the calories added by the walnuts. Both groups ate the walnuts for six months, and their customary diet without walnuts for another six months.

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Is heart disease in your genes? And if so, can you do anything about it?

Cardiovascular disease continues to be the No. 1 killer of men, and while strides have been made to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke, one area that remains elusive is genetics.

In the journals

If you have suffered a heart attack and plan to undergo prostate cancer treatment, you may want to weigh the risks and benefits of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). ADT decreases the amount of androgens in the body, which prostate cancer needs to grow and survive. It is also often used along with radiation therapy, and the combination has been shown to prolong survival in men with unfavorable-risk prostate cancer—defined as cancer with two or more high-risk factors, like a PSA level between 10 and 40 ng/mL, a Gleason score of 7 or higher, or biopsies with 50% or higher cancerous cells.

But a study in The Journal of the American Medical Association suggests that men who had a prior heart attack can increase their risk of a fatal one if they undergo both radiation therapy and ADT. Researchers compared overall survival and death from prostate cancer, fatal heart attack, and other causes in a group of 206 men with unfavorable-risk prostate cancer. The men received either radiation alone, or radiation and six months of ADT. The researchers also categorized the men into subgroups based on other health conditions, including heart disease.

Ask the doctor

Q. A test showed a 50% blockage in one of my major heart arteries. That sounds pretty bad to me, but the cardiologist said I didn't need a stent. Why?

A . Your reaction is not unusual. Many people find it hard to understand why that degree of blockage wouldn't be treated with a stent—a tiny, flexible mesh tube that props open a newly cleared artery. But while stents can be helpful, they're not risk-free. The procedure to open the artery (angioplasty) involves threading a balloon-tipped tube from the wrist or the top of the thigh up to the heart. Minor risks include discomfort and bleeding at the insertion site. Rare but more serious risks (such as a heart attack) occur in about 3% of people undergoing the procedure. And to prevent blood clots at the stent site, people need to take anti-clotting medications for up to a year afterward.

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Ask the doctor

Q. I know that sometimes people have high blood pressure only at the doctor's office but normal blood pressure at home. But can the opposite also happen?

A. Yes. This phenomenon—when your blood pressure reading is normal at the doctor's office but high at home—is known as masked hypertension. It's hard to know just how common it is, since doctors don't routinely tell people to measure their blood pressure at home if it's normal in the doctor's office or clinic. The only reason we know it exists is from clinical studies that required people to undergo ambulatory blood pressure monitoring. For this type of monitoring, you wear a portable blood pressure cuff and monitor for 24 hours. The machine records your blood pressure every 20 minutes while you're awake and hourly while you're asleep. In these studies, anywhere from 10% to 40% of the participants were found to have masked hypertension, depending on the exact population evaluated.

Peripheral artery disease can be debilitating and dangerous.

Most often, concern about atherosclerosis (when fatty deposits clog arteries) centers on the coronary arteries, which serve the heart. But the arteries outside the heart—the so-called peripheral arteries—are also vulnerable.

When you're active, your leg muscles need extra oxygen. But narrowed arteries in the legs can't deliver enough blood and oxygen to keep up with the demand. The result is pain in the calf, thigh, or buttock while walking that goes away with rest. Known as claudication, it's the classic symptom of peripheral artery disease (PAD). But many people with PAD either don't have symptoms or mistake them for another problem. As a result, PAD often goes unrecognized.

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Compared with brisk walking, swimming allows you to meet your fitness goals with less stress on your joints and muscles.

In terms of convenience, it's hard to beat brisk walking as a form of exercise. You don't need any special equipment or venue, and most people can do it. But for some people—such as those with achy knees, sore hips, or substantial weight—walking may be uncomfortable. And during the winter, harsh weather in many parts of the country can make walking outdoors unpleasant—even treacherous at times. A water workout in a warm indoor pool, followed by a relaxing sauna could be an appealing alternative that's also good for your heart.

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Cardiologists expect wider use of the less-invasive technique—known as TAVR—in the near future.

The one-way valve inside your aorta opens to allow blood to surge from the heart to the rest of your body. But as you age, the valve's leaflets may stiffen and become clogged with calcium deposits, restricting blood flow. About 12% of people ages 75 or older have this condition, known as aortic stenosis. Symptoms include feeling dizzy, faint, tired, and breathless. Unless the valve is replaced, half of people with symptoms from aortic stenosis die within two years.

Research we're watching

Even if you're not overweight, having a large belly raises your risk of dying of heart disease, a new study suggests.

To explore factors linked to early death, researchers relied on body measurements and other health information gleaned from more than 15,000 adults who took part in a national health survey. The average follow-up period was 14 years.

Research we're watching

Older adults can reap greater heart benefits from a daily stroll if they pick up the pace a bit, a study in the Nov. 4, 2015, Circulation reports.

Most exercise studies include predominantly younger adults. This new study is an exception. Researchers followed more than 4,200 people—whose average age was 73—for 10 years. They gathered information about the participants' health and their physical activity.