Heart Health Archive

Walk with a Doc is a nonprofit program founded by a cardiologist that sponsors free, doctor-led walks in mostly outdoor venues (usually public parks) in 560 sites across America. The walks last 30 to 90 minutes, are usually held once per month, and include a five-minute talk about various health topics by the physician. In addition to the exercise and education, participants benefit from the camaraderie and time spent in nature.

Taking supplements that contain high levels of biotin (vitamin B₇) can lead to falsely low or falsely high results on a troponin test, a blood test used to diagnose heart attacks.

Skin tags are fleshy, soft growths that tend to develop on the neck, under the arms, or around the groin. People who develop many skin tags should see their doctor, since they may be associated with diabetes or metabolic syndrome. Skin tags can be removed using various methods.

According to a 2023 study, a person's waist-to-hip ratio-the circumference of the waist divided by the circumference of the hip-is a better predictor of future health issues like high blood pressure, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes than body mass index.

Blood thinners don't "thin" blood; rather, they discourage blood from clotting. Candidates for anti-clotting drugs are people at high risk for dangerous blood clots, such as those with atrial fibrillation or those who have received a stent. Others who can benefit from an anti-clotting drug are people who are immobile after surgery and individuals who have had deep-vein thrombosis (clots in the veins of the legs or arms) or pulmonary embolism (clots in the lungs). A higher risk of bleeding is the main side effect, but most people can tolerate the medication.

A 2023 analysis suggests that men older than age 70 can fight declining testosterone levels by engaging more in healthy lifestyle behaviors like increasing exercise, losing weight, and managing high blood pressure.

Dietary choices can influence weight, blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and blood sugar levels, all factors that can determine a person's risk for heart disease, heart attack, and stroke. Adopting certain eating habits can help manage these factors. These include reducing the intake of saturated fat and refined sugar that are included in many processed foods, eating more healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, and following a plant-based diet like the Mediterranean or DASH diet.

Men who report specific types of job-related stress face a higher risk of heart disease than those without such stress, according to a 2023 study.

Older adults who take medications to lower their blood pressure may reduce their risk of dementia, according to a 2023 study. The finding reinforces the connection between heart and brain health.