Heart Rate News and Research

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Heart rate is determined by the number of heartbeats per unit of time, typically expressed as beats per minute (BPM), it can vary with as the body's need for oxygen changes, such as during exercise or sleep.

Synthetic cooling agents in e-cigarettes link to abnormal heartbeats

Synthetic cooling ingredients added to e-cigarettes caused abnormal heartbeats (arrhythmias) and increased cardiovascular risk measures in mice and lab-grown human heart cells, according to new independent research published today in Circulation: Arrhythmia and Electrophysiology, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Heart Association.

15 Jun 2026

New blueberry-sized ingestible sensor tracks internal body temperature

In a hospital or at home, temperatures are usually taken using an oral or forehead thermometer, but these do not always accurately reflect the core body temperature.

15 Jun 2026

Trial finds prunes do not outperform calcium and vitamin D for male bone density

A one-year randomized trial found that daily prune supplementation did not improve total or lumbar spine bone mineral density in older men susceptible to, or with, osteopenia. Although some bone turnover biomarkers differed between prune and control groups, these changes did not translate into measurable bone density benefits beyond calcium and vitamin D3 supplementation.

11 Jun 2026

Obesity drug mazdutide reduces weight and waist size in major trial

Once-weekly 9 mg mazdutide produced clinically meaningful weight loss in Chinese adults with obesity, reducing body weight by 16.65% after 60 weeks versus 1.50% with placebo. The phase 3 GLORY-2 trial also found improvements in waist circumference, systolic blood pressure, and lipid markers, but gastrointestinal adverse events were common.

9 Jun 2026

Senior Care Authority kicks off Alzheimer's and Brain Awareness Month with six science-backed habits that may help reduce dementia risk

An estimated 7.4 million Americans aged 65 and older are now living with Alzheimer's disease, according to the Alzheimer's Association's 2026 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures report, and that number is projected to climb to nearly 13 million by 2050.

5 Jun 2026

Can Pilates improve heart and metabolic health in a month?

Pilates enhances cardiovascular and metabolic health in previously sedentary women, with notable improvements in heart rate and blood pressure after 4 weeks.

5 Jun 2026

AI turns everyday smartphone use into passive heart-rate tracking

Researchers developed Passive Heart-Rate Monitoring, a deep-learning smartphone system that estimates heart rate and daily resting heart rate from eight-second facial videos captured during normal phone use. Validated on more than 160,000 videos, the system met accuracy targets across skin-tone groups, although usable measurement rates were lower in the darkest skin-tone group and clinical use still requires further testing.

2 Jun 2026

New ultrasound pacemaker design promises minimal recovery time for cardiac patients

MIT engineers have developed a noninvasive pacemaker that stimulates the heart using ultrasound. The design could one day provide a surgery-free alternative to traditional cardiac implants.

2 Jun 2026

Consumer wearables become the new gatekeepers of clinical health care

JMIR Publications today released a News and Perspectives expert analysis on consumer wearable platforms' forays into the clinical health care space. Authored by MedTech expert Blythe Karow, MBA, "Meet the New Health Care Gatekeeper: Your Wearable" lays out the implications of wearable tech companies owning the first conversation about a patient's health, as well as the potential impacts on patient trust, policy, and regulation.

29 May 2026

Can AI help build a fairer food system from farm to plate?

AI could help make food systems more personalized and climate-resilient by linking nutrition, health, farming, logistics, and sustainability data. The review highlights promise in precision nutrition, vertical farming, traceability, and smarter supply chains, while warning that privacy, equity, energy use, data silos, and governance gaps must be addressed.

27 May 2026

Extreme trait values often have simpler genetic explanations than thought

Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have found evidence that people who fall at the extreme high or low ends of certain traits, such as cholesterol, blood glucose, height, and age at menopause, are more likely to have a simple genetic explanation than previously thought.

27 May 2026

Women who sleep less may face more irregular menstrual cycles

A study on 42,759 menstrual cycles shows that sleep quality affects menstrual health, with implications for physiological stability and individual variability.

27 May 2026

Wearable devices may help detect menstrual health changes earlier

Digital health tools, including wearables, provide critical data on menstrual health, enhancing understanding of hormonal fluctuations and women's well-being.

27 May 2026

Novel wearable ultrasound patch improves high-risk pregnancy monitoring

Current fetal monitoring tools for physicians to closely follow high-risk pregnancies are inadequate, so researchers at Stanford Medicine, the University of California San Diego and Oxford University developed a wearable ultrasound patch to monitor such pregnancies.

26 May 2026

Shared humor and play strengthen children’s brains and emotional wellbeing

Making children laugh can build deep emotional connections and soothe their nervous systems, making them more resilient and open to new ideas, a leading child development expert tells us.

24 May 2026

Disrupted sleep rhythms may increase dementia risk through impaired waste clearance

Why are conditions such as chronic stress, depression, cardiovascular disease, fragmented sleep, and aging all associated with a higher risk of dementia? In a new review piece in Science, University of Rochester Medicine neuroscientist Maiken Nedergaard, MD, DMSc, proposes that many of these seemingly different conditions may converge on the same biological problem: disruption of a sleep-dependent brain rhythm that helps clear waste from the brain.

22 May 2026

Machine learning lifestyle coaching helps reduce major depressive symptoms

More than 21% of U.S. adults experience depression, greatly impacting their quality of life. Many people with mild‑to‑moderate depression can improve their symptoms by adjusting daily habits like sleep, exercise, diet and social interaction, according to Jyoti Mishra, PhD, associate professor of psychiatry at University of California San Diego School of Medicine.

21 May 2026

Oral AD109 improves sleep apnea severity but tolerability remains a challenge

AD109, an investigational once-daily oral combination of aroxybutynin and atomoxetine, significantly improved airway obstruction and oxygenation in adults with mild-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea who could not use PAP therapy. However, symptom improvements did not clearly differ from placebo, and about one in five AD109 recipients discontinued treatment due to adverse events.

21 May 2026

560-610 minutes of exercise a week linked to substantial cardiovascular health benefits

Adults should aim to do between 560 and 610 minutes a week of moderate to vigorous physical activity to achieve a substantial reduction in the risk of heart attacks and stroke, suggest the findings of an observational study published online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

19 May 2026

Facial micromovements may help doctors measure pain more accurately

Researchers at Rutgers University-New Brunswick are working to measure pain more accurately beyond the single, subjective question patients are often asked: "On a scale of 1 to 10, how bad is your pain?"

19 May 2026