Category: heart-letter

Seeing a cardiologist is standard practice following a heart attack. But some people—such as those with a family history of early heart disease—may want to consult a cardiologist even if they haven’t experienced a heart-related scare. People who have multiple risk factors for cardiovascular disease, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and obesity, also may want to consider an evaluation by a heart disease expert. General cardiologists have broad knowledge about managing atherosclerosis, as well as diagnosing and treating heart rhythm disorders, heart valve problems, and other blood vessel disorders.

Home cooking using fresh, unprocessed foods and eating lower-sodium versions of dressings and condiments can help people eat less sodium. Most Americans still consume far too much of the mineral, which raises blood pressure. Other tips to lower sodium include rinsing canned beans, vegetables, and tuna fish before using; not adding salt to the water when cooking pasta, rice, or other grains; and using fresh herbs, spices, citrus juice, or vinegar to enhance flavor instead of salt. When baking, people can use baking powder made with potassium bicarbonate instead of sodium bicarbonate.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), the most common form of inherited heart disease, is thought to affect one in 500 people. It can be challenging to diagnose because the symptoms vary widely and are sometimes mistaken for other disorders. Many people with HCM have no symptoms or only mild ones for most of their lives. Others notice breathlessness, fatigue, or chest pain, or they have episodes of fainting or near-fainting (particularly during exertion). The disease is passed from one generation to the next by way of dominant-acting mutations in genes that govern the structure of the heart muscle.

People who eat chili peppers more than four times a week appear to lower their risk of dying from heart disease.

Icosapent ethyl (Vascepa) is a drug made from a highly purified form of fat found in fish oil. In late 2019, it was FDA-approved for people with borderline high triglyceride levels at high risk of cardiovascular disease.

Long-term exposure to traffic noise may lead to heightened activity in the amygdala, the brain region involved in processing stress, anxiety, and fear. This link may explain why chronic noise appears to raise cardiovascular risk.

Adults under the age of 45 who use marijuana appear to face a higher risk of stroke compared with those who don’t use the drug. The risk of stroke increases with more frequent use—and even more so among people who also smoke cigarettes.

About 75% of all grain products in this country are made with wheat. But most contain highly processed white flour, which is less nutritious than options such as 100% whole-wheat bread or bulgur wheat.

Even if you’ve never done formal exercise, some regular moderate exercise — ideally for at least 30 minutes most days of the week — can lower your blood pressure and many other risk factors linked to heart disease.

Taking dietary supplements that contain high levels of biotin (vitamin B₇) can lead to falsely low results on a blood test used to detect heart attacks.