Do You Have ‘Salt Sensitivity’?
For years, doctors and dietitians have delivered a firm message about salt: Watch your intake or your blood pressure could rise to unhealthy levels. Yet scientists have known for decades that there is...
View ArticleSymptoms of AFib
Symptoms of atrial fibrillation (AFib) can vary from person to person. Some people with the condition are fatigued, and it affects their everyday activities. Others find themselves short of breath...
View ArticleWhat Is Atrial Fibrillation (AFib)?
Atrial fibrillation (AFib), which causes an irregular and often rapid heart rate, is the most common form of cardiac arrhythmia. An episode of AFib can cause a fluttering or pounding sensation in the...
View Article6 Steps to Manage or Prevent AFib
If you have atrial fibrillation (AFib), making a few changes to your daily routine could be useful in the management of the condition, which causes the heart to beat erratically and puts you at...
View ArticleWhere Are All the Women?
Twenty-seven years ago, the Revitalization Act of 1993 established legal requirements and guidelines to ensure that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) include women in its clinical research...
View ArticleA Sleep Tip to Take to Heart
People who struggle with insomnia are often advised to go to bed and get up at the same time each day, as one of the “sleep hygiene” measures that may promote better slumber. But even if you’re a...
View ArticleSilent Heart Attacks: What to Know
Could you experience a serious cardiac event—and not know it? Yes. Up to one-half of myocardial infarctions (the medical term for heart attacks) are “silent,” meaning they either cause no symptoms or...
View ArticleWhat’s Better at Predicting Heart Disease—Risk Factors or Genes?
Sophisticated genetic testing does not improve upon the ability of traditional risk factors such as blood pressure, cholesterol levels, diabetes, and smoking status to predict who will develop coronary...
View Article7 Steps for Better Heart Attack Survival
Following medical guidance after a heart attack increases the odds of long-term survival, according to a study in the Journal of the American Heart Association, which looked at data from more than...
View ArticleCannabis Caution
If you use marijuana (cannabis), be aware that it can interact with many medications, as outlined in a brief article in the Canadian journal CMAJ.For example, certain drugs can increase concentrations...
View ArticleMeds Can’t Replace Heart-Healthy Habits
If you are starting drug therapy to control high blood pressure or to lower blood cholesterol, don’t let that be an excuse to forgo heart-healthy behaviors. Eating a healthy diet, exercising,...
View ArticleAn Avocado a Day Keeps the Doctor Away
Good news for avocado lovers: Eating one avocado a day may have beneficial effects on the heart, according to a randomized, controlled study in the Journal of Nutrition in October 2019, authored by a...
View ArticleMore Egg-cellent News About Eggs
Two large, recent observational studies add to the evidence that most people can safely enjoy eating eggs without fear of endangering their heart health.In an analysis of data from about 177,000 people...
View ArticleLocal Gym Closed? That’s No Excuse
Here’s how to set up a home gym.I’ve always told clients that our world is a gym. Now, with the coronavirus pandemic, that saying rings truer than ever. During this unprecedented period when commercial...
View ArticleHigh-Intensity Interval Training: Rev Up Your Workouts
Government guidelines recommend that each week we do at least 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercises like brisk walking or fast dancing, or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic...
View ArticleMore Good News About Soy Foods
More evidence that soy foods may be good for the heart comes from a large observational study published in March 2020 in Circulation.The Harvard investigators analyzed data from the long-running...
View ArticleCut Back on Alcohol, Improve AFib?
Reducing your intake of alcohol might improve atrial fibrillation (AFib), a common type of irregular heartbeat, according to an Australian study in The New England Journal of Medicine. It found that...
View ArticleLonger Workdays, Higher Blood Pressure?
People who work long hours may be at increased risk for high blood pressure, according to a study in Hypertension of 3,547 white-collar public employees in Canada.The participants had their blood...
View ArticleDrugs That Can Worsen Heart Failure
If you have heart failure, you may be taking a variety of medications, especially if you also have other health conditions such as diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, or...
View ArticleAbdominal Aortic Aneurysm: Should You Be Screened?
An abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is stealthy. It rarely causes symptoms until it ruptures and becomes a life-threatening emergency. Ultrasound screening can catch aneurysms early, before they burst,...
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