Heart Health Archive

Making plaque disappear is not possible, but it is possible to shrink and stabilize it. Drugs called statins can help with this, and so can eating a heart-healthy diet, exercising, and quitting smoking.

The 2026 lipid guidelines explain how people can estimate and lower their risk of a heart attack. They include information about tools and tests, updated targets for LDL (bad) cholesterol, and advice about lifestyle changes and medications.

Sometimes swollen feet are a red flag for an underlying vascular, bone-related, or skin-related health condition.

Pain in the chest sometimes is a symptom of heart disease. But heart problems aren't always obvious. Fatigue, unexplained aches and pains, shortness of breath, swollen feet or ankles, and heart palpitations may also indicate heart trouble.

Women have unique risk factors for heart disease, including pregnancy-related complications and a higher rate of autoimmune diseases. Anatomical and other differences also influence how heart disease manifests in women.

Compared to people who have moderate sleep-and-wake patterns, night owls may be more likely to have unhealthy habits that put their heart health at risk, according to a 2026 study.

After an ablation procedure for atrial fibrillation, getting at least 90 minutes of moderate exercise per week may reduce a person's risk of an afib recurrence, according to a 2026 study.

An enlarged heart has many possible causes, including conditions that force the heart to work harder than usual (such as chronic high blood pressure or heart valve problems) and different types of cardiomyopathy (heart muscle disease).

A busy schedule can make it challenging to adhere to heart-healthy habits, but there are steps you can take that don't require much time and can fit easily into almost anyone's life.

Growing evidence suggests that poor sleep is linked to a host of health problems, including a higher risk of high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, and heart disease. Now, a recent study on people in midlife finds that having a combination of sleep problems may nearly triple a person's risk of heart disease.