Heart Health Archive

Resistance training (also called strength training or weight training) can improve heart-related risk factors such as blood pressure, blood sugar, blood lipids, and body composition. It's especially beneficial for older adults and people with an elevated risk for heart problems. A 2024 scientific statement from the American Heart Association recommends focusing on eight to 10 different exercises that target all the body's major muscle groups. Examples include chest presses, biceps curls, squats, and abdominal crunches.

Telemedicine visits combined with self-measured blood pressure readings may help control high blood pressure better than traditional clinic visits, according to a 2024 study.

Certain foods, such as beans, oats and whole grains, fatty fish, and fruits and vegetables that are high in fiber, can lower "bad" LDL cholesterol.

A 2023 study suggests that moving, standing, or even sleeping are all better than sitting for people's weight, waistlines, and heart health.

People whose spouses have high blood pressure may be more likely to have high blood pressure themselves than people whose spouses do not have the condition, according to a 2023 study.

A long-term study published in 2023 found that watching lots of television during young adulthood was linked to increased rates of obesity and other factors that raise heart disease risk in midlife.

A 2023 study suggests that following a healthy vegan diet may improve cardiometabolic risk factors (such as LDL cholesterol and weight) more than eating even a healthy omnivorous diet.

Aortic stenosis occurs when the heart's aortic valve becomes stiff and calcified, narrowing its opening so blood cannot flow normally. This can cause symptoms such as shortness of breath, fatigue, lightheadedness, fainting, and chest tightness. Neither lifestyle nor medications can slow or reverse aortic stenosis. People born with a bicuspid aortic valve are at high risk, but most people with aortic stenosis have a normal appearing valve. The only treatment is to replace the damaged valve using open heart surgery or a less invasive, nonsurgical approach called transcatheter aortic valve implantation.

The PREVENT equation is a new online calculator to predict a person's odds of developing heart disease. Compared to previous calculators, the updated tool considers broader measures of health (including biomarkers for kidney and metabolic health) and a longer age span (starting at 30 instead of 40 years of age). The goal is to encourage earlier, more targeted strategies to help people avoid cardiovascular problems.