Heart health education program tied to healthy change | Study examines e-cigarettes' impact on heart, lung health | COVID-19 vaccines reduce blood clot, HF risk after infection
Research published in BMJ Nutrition, Prevention, and Health found that among 31 adult study participants who attended a 4-week Get Heart Smart cardiovascular health education program, which provided information on grocery shopping and the Mediterranean, Portfolio and Dietary Approaches to Stopping Hypertension diets, adherence to the Mediterranean diet significantly increased. At the six month follow-up, the mean Mediterranean diet adherence score rose from 7.0 to 9.2 in both those who participated in-person and through virtual education sessions.
Using e-cigarettes may have a negative effect on measures of cardiovascular and pulmonary health including blood pressure, FEV1, heart rate, lung function and exercise tolerance, researchers reported in the journal Chest. Investigator Dr. Matthew Tattersall said one use of an electronic nicotine delivery system was linked to "acute worsening of cardiovascular and pulmonary health indexes among long-term ENDS users."
A study published in the British Medical Journal found that COVID-19 vaccines may lower the risk of heart failure and blood clots by up to 55% and 78%, respectively, after a SARS-CoV-2 infection. The findings, based on data from more than 20 million people in Europe, showed vaccination's positive effects lasted for up to one year.
The FDA has approved aprocitentan as an oral therapy for high blood pressure when used with other BP medications in adults with treatment-resistant hypertension. The drug is the first endothelin receptor antagonist approved for hypertension with a recommended dose of 12.5 milligrams daily.
Individuals who consumed food across 12 to 16 hours daily had lower cardiovascular death risk compared with those who restricted their food consumption to across fewer than eight hours a day, according to preliminary research presented at a meeting of the American Heart Association. Researchers found that those with existing cardiovascular disease who ate across at least eight but fewer than 10 hours a day were more likely to die from stroke or heart disease.
The approval of Wegovy to reduce cardiovascular disease risk in people who are overweight may lead to expanded Medicare coverage, which could benefit millions of people because 42% of Medicare beneficiaries older than 65 have a heart condition, according to a CMS report. Prescription drug plans might hesitate to add Wegovy to their formularies this year because they can't change premiums midyear, and cheaper alternatives like statins are already covered, so they may be more inclined to include it in 2025, said investment analyst Angela Lamari.
ChestPal has released its ChestPal Pro digital stethoscope in the US market. The device automatically detects and classifies wheezes and crackles and is intended to help in making quick and accurate diagnoses.
Researchers looked at the cardiovascular health benefits of different types of olive oil and found that extra virgin olive oil may have the most positive effects, offering more than 200 plant antioxidant compounds and contributing to improvements in blood pressure, HDL and LDL cholesterol levels. An earlier study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that the risk of early mortality from any cause was reduced by 19% when people consumed more than 1.5 teaspoons of olive oil daily.
Researchers have categorized most Americans into four sleep patterns, finding that how people sleep is a strong predictor of long-term health, according to a study published in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine. More than half of people had insomnia-like sleep patterns that were associated with risk of chronic health conditions such as diabetes and heart disease.