(FG Trade/E+ via Getty Images) Lea en español The COVID-19 pandemic produced no shortage of somber statistics. But for people who care about women’s health, one number about Hispanic women stood out. Their maternal mortality rate jumped sharply in 2020 – up 44% from the year before, according to the latest available data from the…

Race car driver and Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome survivor Bryce Cornet. (Photo courtesy of Bryce Cornet) Bryce Cornet is no stranger to a racing heart. His heart beats faster each time he puts on his helmet, slides into the cockpit of his race car, snaps on the buckles of his harness and puts the pedal to the…

(fcafotodigital/E+ via Getty Images) The ancient Greeks were on to something when they referred to olive oil as an “elixir of youth and health.” Centuries later, research offers evidence about the benefits of olive oil in our daily diets. Consuming more than half a tablespoon of olive oil a day may lower heart disease risk,…

Heart transplant recipient Melody Hickman. (Photo courtesy of Melody Hickman) At 26, Melody Hickman of Raleigh, North Carolina, was crestfallen. A routine physical detected a problem with her mitral valve. Fixing it required open-heart surgery. “I knew I would have to be on a heart-lung machine, and the idea of having the incision really bothered…

(Amanda Cassingham-Bardwell/iStock via Getty Images) Gene abnormalities may make some people more susceptible to myocarditis, a rare type of heart inflammation that can affect young people and athletes, a large new study shows. The findings, published Monday in the American Heart Association journal Circulation, could partially answer why otherwise healthy young people sometimes develop a…

Embryo culture dish used for in vitro fertilization. (Science Photo Library via Getty Images) Using a frozen embryo for in vitro fertilization may substantially raise the mother’s risk for pregnancy complications related to high blood pressure, new research suggests. The study, published Monday in the American Heart Association journal Hypertension, found fertilization with frozen embryos…

(Prostock-Studio/iStock via Getty Images) Lea en español After nearly three years of nearly nonstop talking about viruses and vaccinations, some people might be ready to tune out. That would be a mistake, health experts say. Amid warning signs of a potentially severe flu season ahead, those experts worry “vaccine fatigue” will keep people from getting…

Heart attack and cardiac arrest survivor Vonnie Gaither. (Photo courtesy of Vonnie Gaither) Vonnie Gaither hated leaving a reunion of extended family in Baltimore. Still, she had to tear herself away to start the trek back home to Anchorage, Alaska. Her flight from Baltimore to Salt Lake City was uneventful. After boarding the plane bound…

Illustration of the hepatitis C virus. (Kateryna Kon/Science Photo Library via Getty Images) As people being treated for HIV get older, those who also have untreated hepatitis C face a much higher risk of having a heart attack than if they had HIV alone, new research finds. In a population already at high risk for…

(kimberrywood/iStock via Getty Images) Poor sleep quality – including moving around too much or having sleep apnea – may increase the risk for a future heart problem, new research suggests. That problem is called left ventricular diastolic dysfunction, a precursor to heart failure. But not getting enough sleep did not appear to increase that risk,…