Emotional turmoil can spur what's known as "broken heart syndrome," which has symptoms that while reversible, tend to closely resemble a heart attack. Women appear significantly more likely to be affected than men.

Over time, bare metal stents implanted to prop open clogged arteries can narrow as scar tissue forms prompting concerns about reduced blood flow. A novel treatment appears to aid patients by improving blood flow.

Chalk up another benefit for green tea. Drinking the beverage or taking supplements containing compounds from the tea may reduce cholesterol by several points, potentially giving patients another tool in their arsenal for heart health.

Not all diets are created equal. Ditching the white bread and instead opting for unsaturated fats common in nuts, olive oil and avocados may offer added protection for the heart.

Hold off on getting a stent if you suffer from peripheral artery disease (PAD). A simpler and less invasive supervised exercise program may better improve walking ability in patients with clogged blood vessels to the legs.

Some individuals may be at a higher risk of stroke simply by nature of their blood type. Those with blood type AB may be at an increased risk of stroke regardless of other factors.

Patients that develop a common heart arrhythmia may benefit from an unexpected drug. A medication used to treat gout appears to reduce the incidence of atrial fibrillation following heart surgery.

Prior to heart surgery, many patients are concerned that there could be complications such as infection from the deep incision. Pneumonia is actually the most common serious infection after a cardiac operation.

Lowering your cholesterol could be as easy as a shot. Preliminary clinical tests have shown that injections may work to lower "bad" LDL cholesterol.

Eli Lily's experimental drug evacetrapib has been shown to raise good cholesterol levels while also decreasing bad cholesterol. It also successfully lowered triglyceride levels.