Category: harvardhealth_news_UNDEFINED

People who sip several daily cups of both coffee and tea may be less likely to have a stroke than people who don’t drink either beverage.

When a smart watch alert suggests that person’s heart rate is below 40 beats per minute, it could be an error, especially if no symptoms are present. But it could signal a heart problem called bradycardia that has many possible causes.

Stimulant medications, which are usually prescribed to treat attention deficit disorder in children, are being prescribed increasingly to older adults. These drugs may cause a short-term spike in the risk of heart-related problems, including heart attacks, strokes, and arrhythmias. Dietary supplements that promise weight loss or better physical or mental performance may contain prohibited, unlisted, and potentially dangerous stimulants.

Broken heart syndrome—an uncommon condition linked to severe emotional or physical stress that occurs mostly in women—may be more common than previously thought. The increase in diagnoses may reflect heightened awareness of all forms of heart disease in women. The condition may result from the surge of adrenaline that affects the heart’s muscle cells and blood vessels, causing the heart’s left ventricle to temporarily change shape. The heart resembles a Japanese clay pot used to trap an octopus, called a tako-tsubo, which is why broken heart syndrome was originally dubbed takotsubo cardiomyopathy.

Moderate-to-vigorous exercise appears to be the best way to boost cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), which quantifies how well the heart and lungs supply oxygen to the muscles during physical activity. Higher CRF during midlife is linked to a lower risk of conditions closely tied to heart disease (including early signs of atherosclerosis, high blood pressure, and diabetes) later in life.

Up to 7% of people ages 50 and older (mostly male smokers) have abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs). In rare cases, these balloon-like pouches can expand and rupture with little warning, which can be life-threatening. Medicare covers screening tests for AAA for men ages 65 to 75 who have smoked at least 100 cigarettes in their lives and for anyone with a family history of AAA.

Nitrates are added to processed meats (such as bacon, ham, and deli meats) and are found naturally in leafy green vegetables (such as spinach and kale). But it’s not clear how crucial these molecules are compared with other components of those foods, as dietary nitrate levels don’t appear to affect heart disease risk. However, nitrate-based drugs are used to treat angina, a common symptom of coronary artery disease.

Two categories of shoulder injuries are particularly common among older adults: rotator cuff injuries and shoulder bone fractures. The key to warding off shoulder injuries is to keep the joints healthy, strong, and flexible. Many of the strategies to do this are the same ones that will reduce fall or fracture risk. Examples include weight-bearing activity, stretching, improving balance, and eating a healthy diet. Other strategies include strengthening the shoulder muscles, stretching the shoulders right before activity that requires shoulder power, and removing fall hazards from the home.

A study published online Oct. 4, 2021, by the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise found that about 46,000 U.S. cancer cases per year can be attributed to getting less than 300 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week.

U.S. adults who report being physically active say their most frequent forms of exercise are walking, gardening, and weight lifting, according to a study published online Oct. 8, 2021, by the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.