Heart Health Archive

A 2025 study finds that smoking and high blood pressure are the two most important factors driving heart disease risk. Together with high cholesterol, excess weight (or being underweight), and diabetes, these five factors account for about 50% of the burden of cardiovascular disease. Compared to people with all five risk factors at age 50, those who had none of the factors were far less likely to develop cardiovascular disease or die early. On average, women with none of the risks at midlife lived 13 more years without heart disease, while men lived an additional 11 years.

A 2025 study suggests that higher fitness levels may help protect people from developing atrial fibrillation.

A 2025 study suggests that postmenopausal women may be able to lower their blood pressure simply by standing more often each day.

Coronary artery disease, the most common form of heart disease, occurs when cholesterol-laden debris narrows the arteries that supply blood to the heart. It is treated with lifestyle changes and medications. However, sometimes people also need a procedure called angioplasty to open a blocked or narrowed artery to improve blood flow to the heart, along with insertion of a stent to hold it open. Most people need this if they experience a heart attack or unstable angina, when chest discomfort occurs repeatedly and unexpectedly, often at rest.

Habits that promote cardiovascular health are linked to benefits in nearly every organ system and improved function throughout the body, according to a 2025 review of 483 studies.

Hospital discharge instructions about medications can be complicated and confusing. Having a family member or friend along as a second set of ears during the discharge meeting can be helpful.

Obesity is a common, chronic disease that can harm the heart. The powerful weight-loss medications known as GLP-1s, semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound), are now recommended as first-line therapy for eligible people, according to the American College of Cardiology. People using these drugs should work with a dietitian or nutritionist who can help them create a personalized eating plan that ensures they're getting enough nutrients while minimizing common side effects.

Imaging tests such as chest CT scans and mammograms, which can detect calcium deposits in arteries, can provide information about a person's cardiovascular health. These so-called incidental findings-when a medical test discovers something unrelated to the original purpose of the test-have become increasingly common in recent years. With a chest CT, calcifications are grouped into four categories: none, mild, moderate, or severe. That's often enough for a cardiologist to make a solid decision about whether to maintain or intensify a person's drug treatment to prevent heart disease progression.

For some people with atrial fibrillation, cold drinks and foods can trigger a bout of the rapid, irregular heartbeat that characterizes the disorder. Avoiding those triggers nearly always prevents this phenomenon, dubbed "cold drink heart."

The association between alcohol and cardiovascular disease is both complex and controversial. There's no evidence of an increased risk for the most common forms of heart disease in people who stay within the limits for moderate drinking. Whether light to moderate drinking can lower a person's risk is impossible to answer with currently available evidence. But there is clear, consistent evidence that heavier drinking-an average of three or more drinks per day-is linked to worse outcomes for every type of heart disease.