Heart Disease News and Research

Latest Heart Disease News and Research

Nearly 400,000 adults, six body measurements, and a surprising result for heart attack risk

A UK Biobank study involving 395,831 adults found that a higher body roundness index (BRI) was associated with an increased risk of myocardial infarction over a median follow-up of 13.3 years. BRI showed slightly better predictive performance than BMI and four other anthropometric measures, although the improvements were modest and require independent validation before clinical adoption.

13 Oct 2026

Long-term anabolic steroid use linked to lasting heart damage

Long-term use of anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) has serious consequences for the heart, according to a new study that has been following weightlifters for nearly 10 years.

12 Oct 2026

Strategic placement of emergency care services reduces heart attack deaths

Hospitals and policymakers routinely face a difficult question when investing in specialized emergency services: Will adding another facility improve care, or would those resources do more good somewhere else?

12 Oct 2026

Proposed heart transplant policy uses objective data to save lives

Donor organs are exceedingly scarce, so much so that one in five people on the waiting list for a heart transplant in the U.S. dies or is removed from the list before receiving a transplant.

12 Oct 2026

Diet drinks showed no clear weight-loss edge over water after two years

In a two-year randomized trial combining assisted weight management with an unassisted follow-up year, completers maintained average weight losses of 4.8 kg with diet drinks and 3.7 kg with water. Researchers found no significant difference between groups, but fewer than half of the 493 participants completed follow-up.

11 Oct 2026

What people ate at the start of a 20-year study was linked to their heart failure odds

Researchers linked higher baseline diet quality to lower odds of developing heart failure over 20 years among 2,159 Greek adults initially free of cardiovascular disease. Healthy-food consumption showed the most consistent association, but the observational study cannot establish that dietary changes prevent heart failure.

11 Oct 2026

Better blood pressure control could prevent over 518,000 annual deaths worldwide

Effective management of high blood pressure could prevent more than 518,000 annual deaths from cardiovascular disease around the world, according to preliminary research presented at the American Heart Association's Hypertension Scientific Sessions 2026.

11 Oct 2026

Routine blood test may offer clues to future dementia risk

A common blood test already carried out during routine health checks may contain clues about a person's long-term risk of dementia, according to research being presented at the ECNP Congress in Munich and recently published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.

9 Oct 2026

Global cardiac rehabilitation access stagnates despite rising cardiovascular disease

Despite rising incidents of cardiovascular disease (CVD), along with evidence that cardiac rehabilitation programs improve outcomes for those living with CVD, availability of these programs has not increased worldwide in the past decade, according to a new study by York University researchers.

9 Oct 2026

Global survey finds gaps in pediatric cardiac troponin testing

Cardiac troponin, a protein released into the blood when heart muscle is damaged, can be used as a quick measure of heart injury in adults, and testing for it has revolutionized adult cardiology. For children, however, doctors often lack data on normal troponin measurements.

9 Oct 2026

Cutting sugary drinks helps reduce childhood obesity, study finds

While the adult obesity rate appears to be slowing in the United States, childhood obesity remains historically high, affecting nearly 1 in 5 school-aged children.

9 Oct 2026

Masked high blood pressure linked to higher risk of falls in older adults

Masked high blood pressure in adults older than age 78 is associated with a 70% higher risk of falls compared to high blood pressure readings in the office and at home among peers, according to preliminary research presented at the American Heart Association's Hypertension Scientific Sessions 2026.

9 Oct 2026

Late-night snacking may affect liver health

New research led by Oregon Health & Science University suggests you should think twice about indulging in a late-night snack if you'd like to preserve liver health.

9 Oct 2026

New iron deficiency guidelines raise key blood test cutoffs

ASH 2026 guidelines redefine iron deficiency diagnosis with higher ferritin thresholds, aiming for better detection and management across diverse populations.

9 Oct 2026

Longer sleep duration linked to diabetic kidney disease risk

People with type 2 diabetes who sleep longer may have an increased risk of developing or worsening existing diabetic kidney disease, according to a study published in the Journal of the Endocrine Society.

8 Oct 2026

Expert consensus statement outlines shared medical appointments to improve chronic disease care

The American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) has published an expert consensus statement identifying best practices for delivering lifestyle interventions through shared medical appointments (SMAs), a care model that combines individualized medical care with group support.

8 Oct 2026

Potassium-rich DASH diet does not cause hyperkalemia in individuals taking blood pressure drugs

Increased consumption of potassium-rich foods that are part of the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet did not raise blood potassium to dangerous levels in people taking medications to lower their blood pressure, according to preliminary research presented at the American Heart Association's Hypertension Scientific Sessions 2026.

8 Oct 2026

Skipping water during exercise may limit your body's response to whey protein

Hydration status may influence post-exercise amino acid availability, although effects on muscle recovery remain uncertain.

8 Oct 2026

REUP technique expands access to pediatric heart transplants

A groundbreaking donor heart recovery technique developed at Vanderbilt Health has been successfully adapted for children by pediatric heart transplant surgeons at Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt, potentially expanding access to lifesaving heart transplants for children.

7 Oct 2026

County analysis reveals deep geographic and racial heart disease disparities

Despite sustained declines in overall cardiovascular disease mortality in the U.S., disparities based on race, ethnicity and place still persist, with mortality varying far more across counties than states, according to a county-by-cause-by-population analysis published in JACC, the flagship journal of the American College of Cardiology (ACC).

7 Oct 2026