All articles tagged with #heart disease
Maryland became the first U.S. state to require mammography centers to notify patients if scans reveal breast arterial calcification (BAC), a marker linked to elevated heart disease risk. Effective October 1, 2026, this law shifts BAC from an incidental finding to a reported clinical indicator, potentially improving cardiovascular awareness among women undergoing breast cancer screening.
Cardiologists are pushing back against rising online misinformation that questions the link between high LDL cholesterol and heart disease. While cardiovascular deaths have declined due to statins and smoking cessation, progress has stalled. Experts emphasize that high cholesterol is often asymptomatic, meaning individuals may feel healthy while plaque builds in arteries. Recent guidance highlights that standard lab ranges do not equal individual safety targets, and lifestyle changes alone may not suffice for high-risk patients. In India, the Cardiology Society recommends lipid screening from age 18, noting that cardiovascular disease manifests 10 to 15 years earlier in South Asian populations compared to Western groups.
A new international study published in The New England Journal of Medicine finds that silent atherosclerosis, or artery-clogging plaque, is far more common in young adults than previously believed. Among 16,800 participants with no known heart disease, 57% had detectable plaque, with about 1 in 13 adults aged 18 to 29 affected. The findings suggest that traditional risk assessments often miss early disease, highlighting the need for earlier detection and lifestyle interventions to prevent heart attacks and strokes.
Nutritionists advise replacing ultra-processed items like chicken nuggets, meatballs, and sausages with whole-food alternatives to mitigate health risks. Recent evidence links daily consumption of these products to higher rates of obesity, heart disease, cancer, and premature death. Experts emphasize that while processing exists on a spectrum, prioritizing minimally processed options is key to long-term well-being.
Prolonged sitting is linked to higher risks of heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes, even among those who exercise regularly. Experts emphasize that short, frequent movement breaks are more effective than relying solely on daily workouts to counteract the metabolic and cardiovascular harms of a sedentary lifestyle.
A UK Biobank analysis of nearly 480,000 adults found that high GlycA levels—an inflammation marker linked to chronic stress—are associated with a 43% higher risk of heart attack or stroke and observable changes in heart structure, underscoring how prolonged stress may quietly damage the heart.
Three companies tested drugs that dramatically lower the blood protein Lp(a) to prevent heart attacks and strokes. Novartis revealed that although the therapy reduced Lp(a) by up to 80%, it did not reduce cardiovascular events, a surprising setback that raises questions about whether Lp(a) is a causal factor or just a marker, with results from other trials still awaited at the upcoming American Heart Association meeting.
Adding 1,000 daily steps was linked to meaningful heart-health gains in a nearly decade-long study of 36,192 middle-aged or older British adults with hypertension: each 1,000-step increase cut risks for major heart problems by about 17%, heart attack by 9%, stroke by 25%, and heart failure by 22%, with benefits seen well below the traditional 10,000-step goal.
Dr. Odayme Quesada in Cincinnati has secured a $3.6 million NIH grant to lead the nation’s first clinical trial of a treatment for CMD in ANOCA. The five‑year study will test the diabetes/heart failure drug dapagliflozin against a placebo in 120 men and women, enrolling at The Christ Hospital Health Network with University of Cincinnati researchers as collaborators; enrollment is expected to begin fall 2026.
A team has built a “superhuman” AI that analyzes routine ECGs to detect signs of heart failure and heart valve disease within seconds. In a US trial of 67,000 patients, the AI identified up to 81% of heart-failure cases and 90% of valve-disease cases. While not a standalone diagnosis, the tool flags high-risk patients for rapid echocardiograms to speed up diagnosis and treatment, potentially cutting wait times for essential imaging and improving outcomes.
Fatigue is a common but often overlooked warning sign of a heart attack in women; it can be mistaken for stress or anxiety, so seek urgent care if fatigue is persistent or worsened with exertion and is accompanied by other symptoms.
A Tel Aviv University study presented at ESC Congress 2026 finds AI can predict cardiovascular disease risk from routine mammograms, with AUROCs of 0.79 for hypertension, 0.78 for ischaemic heart disease, and 0.86 for stroke, using data from 29,921 women and 97,364 mammograms; the research suggests mammography could screen for heart health alongside breast cancer, though further validation is needed before clinical use.
A US study of more than 70,000 adults aged 60+ found that the latest shingles vaccine was associated with a 9% reduction in overall cardiovascular burden over seven years compared with an older version, including lower risks of heart disease, heart failure, and atrial fibrillation, with men also showing reduced stroke risk. Researchers stress the findings are observational and do not prove causation, and the mechanisms are not yet known, though immune changes from vaccination may be cardioprotective; more trials are needed.
GLP-1 drugs, used for diabetes and obesity, show potential beyond weight loss—lowering cardiovascular risk, easing sleep apnea, supporting kidney and liver health, and possibly reducing cancer risk and addiction. Experts urge cautious optimism; evidence for healthy individuals or longevity is preliminary, and safety monitoring remains important. These drugs are widely used, with ongoing research into broader uses and dosing.
A Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center study tracked over 1,000 adults for five years and found that every 10-gram daily increase in soluble fiber intake was linked to a 3.7% reduction in visceral (belly) fat, which is more closely tied to diabetes and heart disease than fat under the skin. Foods like black beans, pears, oats, and other legumes and fruits/vegetables can help reach about 10 grams of soluble fiber per day.