Category: heart-letter

Aspirin reduces the risk of a second heart attack or stroke by 20%, yet doctors prescribe it for less than half the people who might benefit from it.

An aspirin a day has been shown to lower the risk of a first heart attack in men and a first stroke in women, but it also increases the risk of major bleeding in the digestive tract or brain.

Having a defibrillator implanted does not preclude exercising.

Fructose may not signal the brain to stop eating when the stomach is full, which could make it easier to overeat. Since sugar is half fructose, this offers another reason to cut back consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and other sugary foods.

People with diabetes often need a procedure to improve blood flow and avoid a heart attack. Those who undergo bypass surgery tend to live longer and are less likely to have a heart attack than those who undergo angioplasty.

In people without diabetes, an egg a day does not increase the risk of heart attack or stroke. In all people, eating eggs lowers the risk of hemorrhagic stroke.

To minimize the risk of heart attack, people with heart disease who need a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) for pain relief should start with the lowest dose of the least risky NSAID (naproxen) for the shortest period of time possible.

Too little thyroid hormone can interfere with the heart’s pumping strength and raise cholesterol and blood pressure. Too much thyroid hormone can cause the heart to race and raises the risk of developing heart failure.

Smoking takes about 10 years off a lifespan. Quitting smoking at any age can replace some of those years.

Low magnesium levels can trigger the development of abnormal heart rhythms such as atrial fibrillation. Proper magnesium levels can be restored by taking magnesium supplements or eliminating a cause such as excessive alcohol use.