Heart Disease Archive

Articles

Gratitude linked to longer life and fewer heart-related deaths

A 2024 study suggests that older women with higher scores on tests to assess gratitude may live longer than those with lower scores. Most of this benefit seems to come from preventing deaths from heart disease.

Cutting meat intake by a third could reduce rates of heart disease

A 2024 report suggests that rates of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and colon cancer would fall substantially if people ate less red and processed meat.

More evidence links flu infection to heart attack risk

A diagnosis of influenza (flu) was linked to a sixfold risk of heart attack over the following week, according to a 2024 report.

Eating ultra-processed food may shorten life span among older adults

Older adults who consume ultra-processed foods as a substantial part of their diet have a higher risk of early death than those who eat less of these foods.

Different types of rapid heart rhythms

Atrial fibrillation and supraventricular tachycardia are rapid, abnormal heart rhythms that originate in the upper part of the heart. But they tend to arise at different ages, and they require different treatments.

Gratitude enhances health, brings happiness — and may even lengthen lives

Gratitude has the power to boost well-being, improve sleep, lessen depression, and help heart health. Now new data from the long-term Nurses' Health Study shows that it may extend lives. How can you jump start a gratitude practice in your life?

Body roundness may beat body mass for identifying risky fat

Body roundness index, which is calculated based on a person's height, waist, and hip size, might be a more accurate measurement than body mass index for predicting weight-related health risks, according to a 2024 study.

Should you really take that daily aspirin?

A 2024 analysis found that many people without heart problems are taking daily low-dose aspirin therapy, even though it might have more health risks than benefits. Some of them have not consulted with a doctor about whether daily aspirin is safe for them.

When fear strikes the heart: Post-traumatic stress disorder

People with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are especially vulnerable to cardiovascular problems, including a 40% increased risk of heart attack. The amygdala, a brain structure involved in processing anxiety, fear, and stress, is overactive in people with PTSD. But these people also have decreased activity in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for regulating emotions and dampening the fear response. This brain activity imbalance triggers chronic activation of the body's "fight-or-flight" response. The resulting physiological changes appear to underlie the development of atherosclerosis.

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