• Dr. Crandall: This Vitamin Is Vital for Heart Health
  
  Research shows that vitamin D is important for heart health, but most Americans are not getting enough of this vital vitamin. "We have found that over 50% of people out there are deficient in vitamin D," says Dr. Chauncey Crandall.
• 'Forever Chemicals' Tied to Hypertension in Kids
  
  Kids exposed to PFAS "forever chemicals" before birth have an increased risk of high blood pressure in childhood, particularly during their teen years, a new study says. Teenage boys had a 17% higher risk of increased risk of elevated blood pressure if their moms had...
• Poll Reveals Misconceptions About Hypertension
  
  A good number of people don't know that high blood pressure is a silent killer, increasing a person's heart risk with no obvious symptoms, a new poll has found. More than a third of Americans (37%) erroneously think high blood pressure always has noticeable symptoms like...
• Taking a Statin Boosts Survival in Sepsis Patients
  
  A large study found that treatment with statins could increase survival from life-threatening sepsis by 39%. According to Medical Xpress, a new study showed for the first time that adding statin therapy along with antibiotics, intravenous fluids, and vasopressors to raise...
• Merck Drug Lowers Cholesterol in Two Studies
  
  Merck said on Monday its drug met the main goal of reducing a type of cholesterol in two late-stage studies. The drug, enlicitide decanoate, is being evaluated as a treatment for hyperlipidemia, a condition where there is elevated buildup of fat in the blood vessels. The...
• Healthy Diet Benefits Heart Without Weight Loss
  
  Don't get frustrated if switching to a healthy diet doesn't result in any weight loss - your heart is thanking you nonetheless, a new study says. Even without weight loss, people who adopted a healthy diet received a significant boost to their heart health, researchers...
• Dr. Crandall: Exercise Snacks Lower Heart Risks
  
  Get up from your couch or desk chair. It is time for an exercise snack. These shorts bursts of activity that don't require any equipment can be incorporated into your busy day, and they come with a host of health benefits. Editor's Note: The Smartest Health Tool You'll Ever...
• Leave This Fruit Out of Your Smoothies
  
  A surprising study found that adding bananas to your smoothie reduces the absorption of anti-aging flavanols by a whopping 84%. That's because bananas contain an enzyme called polyphenol oxidase, or PPO, that turns fruits brown and is particularly abundant in bananas. The...
• Canadian Wildfires Worsen Air Quality in Eastern US
  
  Smoke from Canadian wildfires started making air quality worse in the eastern U.S. on Wednesday as several Midwestern states battled conditions deemed unhealthy by the federal government. The fires have forced thousands of Canadians to flee their homes and sent smoke as far...
• Scientists May Have Discovered the Reason We Age
  
  Scientists believe they have uncovered the reason we age. Pausing cell death could slow the aging process, prevent cancer and ward off brain deterioration, according to a new study from researchers from the University of Cambridge. Taming cell necrosis may be the key....
• Self-Employment Linked to Better Heart Health
  
  Being your own boss might seem potentially stressful, but self-employed women appear to have better heart health than those toiling for a company, a new study says. Women working for themselves had lower rates of obesity, physical inactivity, poor diet and sleeplessness,...
• How to Reduce Blood Pressure Naturally
  
  A simple combination of tea, apples, berries, grapes and chocolate can reduce high blood pressure as well as popular medications. These foods are rich in compounds that can improve blood vessel function, according to Study Finds. A large, international study published in the...
• Combo Diabetes, High Blood Pressure Cases Doubled
  
  Twice as many Americans now face the increased risk of death that comes from having both high blood pressure and Type 2 diabetes, a new study reports. About 12% of the U.S. population had high blood pressure and Type 2 diabetes at the same time in 2018, up from 6% in 1999,...
• Smoking Marijuana, Edibles Linked to Heart Damage
  
  Smoking or eating marijuana on a regular basis may damage a healthy person's blood vessels much like tobacco does, a small study finds. Researchers from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) looked at the blood vessels of 55 people between 18 and 50 years old....
• Middle Age Weight Loss Could Add Years to Your Life
  
  Losing just 6.5% of body weight in midlife may lower later risk of disease and premature death, new research shows. Researchers found that people who lost about 6.5% of their body weight - without using weight loss drugs or surgery - reaped big health benefits later in life,...
• Dr. Crandall: How to Lower Your Cancer Risk
  
  With President Joe Biden's diagnosis this week of prostate cancer that has spread to his bones, cancer prevention is on the minds of many Americans. Many lifestyle changes that help ward off cardiovascular disease are also important for preventing cancer. The simplest and...
• FDA: Add Heart Risk to COVID Shot Warning Label
  
  The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has ordered Pfizer and Moderna to expand their warning labels on COVID-19 vaccines. The updated warnings highlight a rare risk of heart inflammation in teen boys and young men, CBS News reported. The warning applies to males ages...
• Bodybuilding Linked To Sudden Cardiac Deaths
  
  Bodybuilders spend countless hours in the gym to create a heart-stopping physique. But their efforts place their own hearts at risk of stopping, a new study says. Sudden cardiac death is responsible for an unusually high proportion of deaths in male bodybuilders, researchers...
• Blood, Urine Reveal Ultraprocessed Food Intake
  
  Molecules in blood and urine may reveal how much energy a person consumes from ultraprocessed foods, a key step to understanding the impact of the products that make up nearly 60% of the American diet, a new study finds. It's the first time that scientists have identified...
• What Not to Do When Recovering From Heart Attack
  
  Lounging around too much after a heart attack can set you up for another one, a new study says. Within a year of being treated for heart attack symptoms, people who sat around afterwards for more than 14 hours a day on average were at greater risk for another heart-related...
• Annual Doctor Visits Lower Heart Failure Death Risk
  
  Two out of 5 people with heart failure are more likely to die because they aren't regularly seeing a cardiologist, a new study says. The 3 in 5 heart failure patients who do see a cardiologist once a year have a 24% lower risk of death, researchers report in the European...
• Dr. Crandall: Calm Living, Stronger Heart
  
  A healthy heart may be as easy as living a calm, predictable life.
• What Shortness of Breath Could Mean for Your Health
  
  Feeling short of breath can be scary. It's the uncomfortable feeling that you are running out of air or not able to breathe deeply enough and feel "air hungry," says the American Lung Association. The medical term is dyspnea, and it can occur while walking, climbing stairs,...
• An Adult Type 1 Diabetes Diagnosis Ups Heart Risks
  
  People who develop type 1 diabetes in adulthood have a higher risk of heart disease and death, a new study says. However, these patients can improve their odds through healthy lifestyle habits, researchers reported May 14 in the European Heart Journal. "We show that the...
• Broken Heart Syndrome Deadly, Especially for Men
  
  "Broken heart syndrome" sounds like a romantic, fairy-tale notion - the idea that suffering a devastating loss that can cause one's heart to wither. But this syndrome, formally known as Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, continues to be associated with a high rate of death and...

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