Harvard Health Content API

Losing 5% of one’s total body weight can result in clinically significant physiologic changes. For example, losing a little weight can reduce heartburn, knee pain, blood pressure, and diabetes risk. Losing 5% of one’s body weight may also lead to better sexual function, more restorative sleep, extra energy, and more self-esteem. To reach a 5% reduction in total body weight, it helps to exercise; eat a healthy diet rich in lean proteins, whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and seeds; and get enough sleep.

Exposure to pyrethroids, a common class of insecticides used to kill lice, mosquitoes, and other pests, may raise a person’s risk of cardiovascular disease and early death.

A new drug lower blood levels of lipoprotein(a) or Lp(a), a fatty particle linked to a heightened risk of heart attack and narrowing of the aortic valve. The drug, given by injection, works by silencing the gene that causes liver cells to make Lp(a).

Ancient mummified remains found in Greenland show evidence of atherosclerosis, indicating that this condition surprisingly affected humans 500 years ago or more.

Oats, which are high in soluble fiber, appear to be the most effective grain for lowering cholesterol.

An estimated two million people in the United States with cardiovascular disease currently use or have used marijuana. Converging (yet limited) evidence suggests the drug may be harmful to the heart. Marijuana can cause the heart to beat faster and blood pressure to rise. Heart attack risk also appears to rise in the hour after smoking marijuana, and the drug has also been linked to an increased likelihood of atrial fibrillation and stroke.

Guidelines recommend that men ages 65 to 75 who have ever smoked cigarettes be screened for an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). But other people at high risk might also consider this one-time test. These include older men and women with a family history of AAA and those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or atherosclerotic heart disease. The screening test is simple and painless, and it costs roughly $50, which is fully covered by Medicare for men who meet the guideline criteria, as well as for people ages 65 to 75 with a family history of AAA.

For moderate to heavy drinkers with atrial fibrillation or afib, drinking less alcohol may help delay the time to a recurrence of the heart rhythm disorder. Alcohol may harm heart muscle cells, which can lead to changes in the heart’s blood flow and electrical activity. Binge drinking can trigger an episode of afib, a phenomenon known as holiday heart syndrome. And longtime heavy drinkers face a heightened risk of cardiomyopathy.

Tai chi is a slow, flowing form of exercise that’s sometimes described as “meditation in motion.“ It can be a good gateway exercise for people who cannot or will not engage in more conventional types of exercise. Tai chi may help lower cholesterol levels, reduce blood pressure, and dampen inflammation, all of which are linked to better heart health. Tai chi may also be a promising addition to cardiac rehabilitation.

In about half of all cases of heart failure, the heart’s muscles are thin and weak, so the heart can’t pump very well. In the other cases, the muscles are thick and stiff, which prevents the heart from relaxing normally to fill with blood.