Congenital heart defect survivor Rachel Owens with her son, Eli. (Photo by Bri Cibene) Growing up in Slidell, Louisiana, Rachel Paul Owens considered herself a tomboy. She loved running and chasing other kids, especially if it included shooting hoops or taking swings in the baseball batting cage her dad built in their backyard. Rachel knew…
Dr. Jeremiah Stamler was a pioneer in heart disease prevention. (Photo courtesy of Northwestern University) Dr. Jeremiah Stamler, a trailblazing cardiologist who helped people understand the critical connection between healthy lifestyle and heart health – and who continued his passionate work well beyond his 100th birthday – died early Wednesday. Stamler, known as “the father…
(Jolygon/iStock, Getty Images) Brain diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia, are closely connected to heart health. They are affected by everyday actions and rank among the nation’s leading causes of death. That’s the portrait of brain health that emerges from the American Heart Association’s “Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics – 2022 Update”…
(Westend61, Getty Images) Middle-aged men who worry a lot have a higher chance of developing risk factors that can lead to heart disease, stroke and Type 2 diabetes as they age, according to a new study that tracked men for 40 years. The study, published Monday in the Journal of the American Heart Association, found…
(CSA-Printstock/DigitalVision Vectors, Getty Images) Last week, surgeons successfully transplanted a genetically modified pig’s heart into a man with life-threatening heart failure. It’s a medical first that is raising hopes of a new, viable alternative for people at risk of dying before limited human cadaver hearts become available and for those too sick or ineligible for…
(Christoph Burgstedt/iStock, Getty Images) Environmental exposure to low levels of toxic metals may raise the risk for developing clogged arteries, according to a study of auto workers in Spain. The findings, published Thursday in the American Heart Association’s journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology, found a link between low levels of cadmium, arsenic and titanium…
(mr.suphachai praserdumrongchai/iStock, Getty Images) Public radio fans knew NPR books editor Petra Mayer as an exuberant lover of science fiction, romance novels, comic books and cats. “If it’s fun and nerdy, I’m all about it,” she declared. Friends and family now are mourning the loss of the witty, bubbly 46-year-old. She died earlier this month…
(Julia Manga/iStock, Getty Images) It’s long been known that smoking greatly raises the risk for heart disease and stroke. But new research suggests the first sign a smoker is developing cardiovascular problems also may be the last. The study, published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Heart Association, found smokers were more likely than…
(Kenishirotie/iStock, Getty Images) Consuming high levels of sodium and low levels of potassium may increase the risk for cardiovascular disease, according to a new study that sought to reaffirm the role sodium plays in cardiovascular disease. On average, Americans eat about 3,400 milligrams of sodium each day, much of that from store-bought packaged foods and…
(Oksana Smith/EyeEm, Getty Images) At a time of increasing legalization of marijuana, a growing number of people under 50 diagnosed with cannabis use disorder were later hospitalized for a heart attack, new research has found. The rising trend from 2007 to 2018 was most pronounced in three groups: ages 18 to 34, men and African…