Health News

Three Big Factors to Beat Heart Disease if Obese
Being overweight or obese can raise the risk for heart disease and stroke. While losing weight may help, shedding pounds can be hard. There may be other ways for overweight people to lower these risks.
Diabetes-Free Hearts Not Helped by Metformin
The most widely prescribed medication for diabetes, metformin, also has heart health benefits for diabetes patients. For those without diabetes, however, its effects on the heart may be limited.
Stents Affect Post-Surgery Heart Risks
Stenting is a common way to treat atherosclerosis or clogged arteries. For patients who are having noncardiac surgery after stent placement, timing is everything.
A Gut Check Could Predict Heart Attack
Your abdominal aorta supplies blood to all major abdominal organs and the legs. If it becomes blocked, not only may organs and legs suffer, it can be a harbinger of a future heart attack. Spotting such blockage can warn doctors of this risk in their patients.
Fish Oil Pills May Not Save Sinking Hearts
Omega-3 fatty acids in fish have been shown to boost heart health. While eating fish may help the heart, fish oil capsules appear to offer no benefit for high-risk heart patients.
Diabetes and Aspirin May Not Always Mix
While aspirin is often recommended to lower the risk of heart attack in those with diabetes, new research suggests that it may not always help, and it could do more harm than good.
Diabetics Doing Better after Blood Flow Fix
When drugs aren't doing the trick to relieve pain from narrowed arteries, doctors may recommend procedures to restore blood flow. For diabetes patients undergoing one of these procedures, outcomes seem to have improved.
Stent Decisions Not Tied to Risk
When deciding whether a patient will receive a drug-eluting stent to prop open blocked coronary arteries, it appears that the decision usually has little to do with future risk of reblockage .
Walk Test Predicts Recurrent Heart Risk
A brief and simple walking test may accurately predict future cardiovascular events in patients with stable coronary heart disease. The test takes only six minutes.
Which Hospital Offers the Best Heart Treatment?
Heart attack patients immediately rushed to hospitals capable of using a balloon catheter to clear blocked arteries are more likely to receive treatment sooner.