Are you at risk for heart failure?

Evidence published in 2025 suggests that 15 million people in the United States are at risk for developing heart failure, a condition in which the heart doesn’t pump well enough to meet the body’s needs. The estimate was determined with improved tools to calculate risk, called the PREVENT equations. Like previous methods, the equations consider age, blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and smoking history. But the PREVENT equations remove race (an unreliable predictor) and add additional aspects of health.

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New insights about the risks from a “hole” in the heart

About 25% of people have a common heart variant called a patent foramen ovale (PFO), a flaplike opening between the heart’s upper chambers. In people with the condition, venous blood can leak across the heart from the right atrium to the left atrium, bypassing the lungs. If that blood contains a clot, it can travel directly to the arteries that send blood throughout the body. A stroke can occur if that clot lodges in an artery supplying the brain. In people prone to blood clots, a PFO raises the risk of stroke and dementia.

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Eat cheese, if you please

A daily serving of cheese is linked to a lower risk of heart disease, stroke, and death from cardiovascular disease. But it’s best to pair cheese with foods like whole-grain crackers or salad instead of combining it with refined carbohydrates and meat, such as cheese on burgers or pizza. Health-promoting fermentation products may counteract the saturated fat and sodium found in cheese.

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How well do TV medical dramas portray heart disease?

TV medical dramas often portray treatments for heart attacks and cardiac arrest. While the timelines are often accelerated and certain aspects may be dramatized to engage viewers, the medical details are, for the most part, factual and authentic. Writers and producers routinely rely on health care experts — including Harvard doctors — to make sure the information is accurate. For people with heart disease, seeing how emergency physicians treat urgent conditions may show them what to expect.

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Can periods restart after menopause?

Women officially reach menopause a year after periods end. Any vaginal bleeding after menopause should be evaluated. Bleeding can come from vaginal dryness or atrophy, medication side effects, various infections, endometrial thickening, or cancer.

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The healing power of kindness

Acts of kindness do more than make the giver and recipient feel good—they can also bolster psychological and physical health. Research suggests kindness can improve happiness and increase social connectedness as well as reduce anxiety and lower blood pressure. Evidence also suggests concentrating good deeds into shorter time periods enhances well-being more powerfully than spreading actions out. Kind acts can include complimenting people, running errands for a neighbor, making a donation to charity, and signing up to volunteer.

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