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Emotionally stressful events that affect large numbers of people have been linked to an increase in heart attack rates. A 2022 study found the same correlation with a contentious political election.
Low-value care (tests or procedures that offer no clear benefit) is a particular problem for people with cardiovascular disease. Low-value care may happen because certain tests are widely available and may provide financial benefit to the health care center. But for patients, these tests may be a waste of time and money and lead to anxiety and risky complications. Up to half of all exercise stress tests and 15% of stent placements done in the United States may be inappropriate.
Doing 30 to 60 minutes per week of strength training exercises is linked to a lower risk of premature death in general, and from heart disease in particular. Regular strength training may improve heart health by lowering the risk of blood pressure and metabolic syndrome. Body-weight exercises such as standing lunges and bench push-ups are a convenient way to build muscle because they can be done anywhere, without the need for special exercise equipment.
COVID survivors—even those with mild infections—appear to face a higher risk of cardiovascular problems such as heart failure, heart attack, and stroke for up to one year after their initial infection. People who were hospitalized (especially those who ended up in the intensive care unit) may have the highest risk. The virus that causes COVID can injure blood vessels and triggers an immune response that promotes the formation of blood clots in arteries and veins throughout the body and brain.
Regular walking—for at least 30 minutes a day, three days per week—is the best treatment for peripheral artery disease. This condition is characterized by fatty deposits that accumulate in arteries outside the heart and brain (usually the legs). Walking encourages blood flow in the leg’s smaller arteries and also creates new channels that move blood around the blocked areas, which eventually helps ease the pain.
The long-held assumption that light to moderate drinking is good for a person’s heart is likely inaccurate. A new study using sophisticated genetic tools suggests that the risk of high blood pressure and coronary artery disease rise for any quantity of alcohol consumption. The added risk is low when people consume up to a single drink per day but rises exponentially at levels above seven drinks per week. This added risk applies to a first-time diagnosis of heart disease and not to people already diagnosed with a heart problem (who might well face even greater risk).
Unsweetened cocoa powder has variable amounts of health-promoting flavanols, depending on how it is processed. Fruits and vegetables are better sources of these compounds, which may improve blood pressure and blood sugar.
Compared with eating carbohydrates, eating protein—particularly protein from plants— was associated with lower odds of later developing cognitive declines, according to a Harvard study in the January 2022 issue of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
In a study published online Feb. 14, 2022, by the journal Heart, people ages 65 or older who exercised at least 20 minutes per day—especially men ages 70 to 75—had fewer heart attacks and a lower risk of premature death, compared with people who didn’t exercise.