“We have seen in repeated studies that sugar substitutes have side effects that go beyond simply imitating the taste of sugar,” he says.

“Smoking increases inhaled toxins. It doesn’t matter if it’s cigarettes or marijuana—you’re consuming those toxins and they’re getting into the airways, getting into blood vessels, and damaging [those] blood vessels,” he said.

Dr. Ni reminds us that the American Heart Association recently updated their “simple 7” metrics to measure heart health to add an 8th element of sleep health, “now it’s called the essential 8, because the research has pointed in this direction for so long that sleep health is important for heart health.”

“This study shows that, when taken alone, there was a decrease with bempedoic acid. However, the degree of decrease still is not nearly as impressive as with statins.”

“Smoking increases inhaled toxins. It doesn’t matter if it’s cigarettes or marijuana—you’re consuming those toxins and they’re getting into the airways, getting into blood vessels, and damaging [those] blood vessels,” he said.

Keto diets have been studied as a means for weight loss for their fat-burning capacity, he adds. “A lot of controversy has been that multiple studies have shown that high-fat, low-carb diets have generally worse outcomes from a cardiovascular standpoint than high-carb, low-fat diets that are plant-based. This study adds to that data.”

“This is not something that people hear much about, but it’s certainly something that is more common than we think. We often get patients on blood pressure medications, and we’re getting their blood pressure under control, and then we’re satisfied,” Dr. Ni said.

“I would say that Mediterranean is a little bit more focused on lean protein and the use of olive oil and other vegetable oils in place of animal fats for cooking, and I think that emphasis is more helpful,” said Dr. Ni.

“The authors suggested that disturbance in sleep regularity promotes cardiovascular disease by disturbing the natural circadian rhythm of the body, thereby affecting inflammation, glucose metabolism and sympathetic neurohormal response. All of these factors are known to cause cardiovascular disease.”

“Those drinking 2 cups of coffee had 5-point lower blood pressure on average than those who didn’t drink coffee. The effect was higher for those drinking more than 3 cups of coffee, with a 9-point lower blood pressure on average compared to those who didn’t drink coffee. This trend towards lower blood pressure with more coffee consumption persisted for different types of blood pressure measurements, including an estimate of a more reliable blood pressure measurement called central blood pressure."

​“Asthma causes an inflammatory process in the airways, and inflammation is a known exacerbator of cardiovascular disease,” explains Jennifer Wong, M.D.

Dr. Ni described “broken-heart syndrome” as a condition that occurs after severe trauma, often before enough time for unhealthy behaviors to take their toll. Most broken-heart patients can be successfully treated.

." Sudden onset of nausea or vomiting- this can happen due to a large stroke from a blocked artery in the brain or bleeding in the brain.

 “Beta-adrenergic activity regulates the sympathetic nervous system. We often actually want to tamp down that activity in order to help to support the heart, so it’s not overly stimulated and is able to function efficiently, requires less oxygen use, and maintains a healthy heart rate, which is generally between 60 and 100 beats per minute.”

To find out for sure,  he recommends that researchers continue to examine the effects of erythritol in larger studies. As for guidance for patients, Dr. Ni suggests physicians drive home the importance of natural, whole foods that don’t rely on artificial sweeteners for a sugary kick.

 “This research study suggests that [the] LAV-BPIFB4 gene variant associates with better heart health and longevity, and improved heart health when used as a treatment in heart cells.”

Warrier agrees that the overall benefits of sports activity likely outweigh the low risk of sudden cardiac arrest. That said, "always talk with your provider if you experience any symptoms during physical activity, as part of an assessment of your individual risk for sports-related sudden cardiac arrest," he cautions. 

“It has been well established that sleep apnea is strongly linked to the development of cardiovascular disease and stroke,” said Dr. Hoang Nguyen, an interventional cardiologist at MemorialCare Heart & Vascular Institute at Orange Coast Medical Center in California.

“Those drinking 2 cups of coffee had 5-point lower blood pressure on average than those who didn’t drink coffee. The effect was higher for those drinking more than 3 cups of coffee, with a 9-point lower blood pressure on average compared to those who didn’t drink coffee. 

Dr. Yu-Ming Ni, a cardiologist specializing in noninvasive cardiology at MemorialCare Heart and Vascular Institute at Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, CA, explained that “this research study suggests that [the] LAV-BPIFB4 gene variant associates with better heart health and longevity, and improved heart health when used as a treatment in heart cells.”

“High cholesterol is only one factor in the development of heart disease,” he says. “Others—like smoking, high blood pressure, and diabetes—play a role as well.”

"After pro football player Damar Hamlin's SCA on national TV earlier this month, "this has been a hot topic of discussion in a lot of my recent patient encounters. As a practice, we have a fair amount of patients that fit [the study] profile, with an overall healthier lifestyle and very low cardiovascular comorbidities. As a result, this study will have a significant impact in addressing this topic with them."

"And, it's important to remember that small changes done over the years can have a lasting impact on health. It may not seem like much to walk for five minutes every hour of desk work, but this can add up over the course of the workday. "

“Physical activity improves blood sugar levels and can reduce the risk for diabetes,” Dr. Ni said. “Since diabetes is a major risk factor for heart attacks and strokes, any effort to prevent diabetes will ultimately lead to less risk of heart disease.”

Well, if you’ve been diagnosed with hypertension, you obviously need to check it, preferably every day. That’s a good way for your doctor to know if your blood pressure medications are working. 

“Steps alone should not be used to gauge how much exercise is enough,” Dr. Ni told MNT.

“The greatest incremental benefit appears to be until 8,000 steps, after which the benefits are less pronounced,” he said. “In adults under 60 years old, there was an apparent small benefit to walking around 8,000 steps. However, the benefit was not significant.”

“This trial is an important addition to evidence supporting mind-body therapies for controlling hypertension,”

Dr. Ni says that the study is “useful” for understanding cardiovascular risk in different patients, but stresses that “treating the whole picture is often more beneficial.”

“In AFib, the atria, or upper chambers of the heart, beat in an extremely disorganized way (sometimes up to 300 to 600 beats per minute). This leads to an increased risk of stroke and congestive heart failure,” Warrier explained to Healthline.

“These changes can be adapted to and may help healthy individuals bring down their internal body core temperatures,” Wong told Verywell. “But a person with heart disease may have less reserve to tolerate these hemodynamic changes, leading to cardiovascular complications like heart attacks.”

"Please come to the clinic with questions you want to ask," Ni implores. "Your doctor is more than happy to spend the visit telling you what they are concerned about and what you should be doing for your health—but a conversation goes both ways. You should also have the chance to share your concerns too."

“If you’re one of those people … you should ask yourself, ‘Why is it that I feel the need to nap later in the day? Is there something I can do about the way that I sleep [so that] I have better energy later on so that I won’t have to take a nap?'” Dr. Ni explained.

Another common disease, liver failure—which affects some 4.5 million Americans, reports the CDC—can also cause swelling or water retention when "the liver [fails] to produce vital protein such as albumin," says Dr. Nguyen.

“In general, our emotional and mental health is closely bound to our physical health,” says Dr. Sarah Elsayed. "The COVID-19 pandemic for example, has shown us an increase in patients diagnosed with hypertension, palpitations and shortness of breath."

"[D]iseases happen due to previous conditions that add up to a heart attack or a stroke, and are not typically due to random events," says Dr. Yang. “By being active, in general, you can burn more calories, lose weight, get muscle tone, feel better in your mind,” says Sanjiv Patel, MD

In fact, people with depression are prone to unhealthy eating habits, not getting enough exercise, weight gain, and smoking, says Arvind Nirula, MD.

...Since this is a comparatively newer diagnosis versus “cardiac conditions such as hypertension and coronary artery disease,” providers often misunderstand it. says Hoang Nguyen, MD.

The most common reason you might have to check your blood pressure at home is that some people experience "white coat syndrome," where their blood pressure is significantly higher in the doctor's office than it is at home, says Hoang Nguyen, MD.

“If you don’t sleep well, stress hormones can build up and cause inflammation. This can potentially trigger a buildup of plaques, which can become unstable and cause heart attack or stroke,” said Patel.

Inflammation from the flu can cause plaques, cholesterol, fatty substances, waste products, and calcium, in the wall of your arteries to rupture, leading to blockages and heart attacks, Dr. Wong says.

Vegetables have more monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats, which can lower your levels of LDL cholesterol and raise the amount of HDL (good) cholesterol in your body, Dr. Wong says. As a result, it can decrease your stroke risk.

"Systolic blood pressure is the peak pressure during a heartbeat while the heart is 'squeezing,' and diastolic blood pressure is the lowest pressure between two heartbeats while the heart is 'relaxed,'" notes Jennifer Wong, MD.

Nikhil Warrier, MD, cardiac electrophysiologist and medical director of electrophysiology at Memorial Care Heart & Vascular Institute at Orange Coast Medical Center, tells what are heart palpitations? | Heart palpitations symptoms | Heart palpitations causes | Heart palpitations triggers | When to worry about heart palpitations | When to see a doctor | Heart palpitations treatment and prevention

“I think for younger patients, it could be an element of noncompliance: not going to doctors, not taking medications — […] especially young men," Wong stated. Moreover, Dr. Wong said, young patients often do not tolerate beta-blockers, a common blood pressure-lowering medication.

 “This [study] gives us a lot more ammunition and a lot more certainty that we should be more aggressive in controlling atherosclerosis risk factors [in] patients or even the general population."

“(It’s) the most common irregular heartbeat in athletes,” Warrier said. “With A-Fib, palpitations is the most common symptom. The other symptom could be fatigue or exhaustion and not be able to perform at the level he’s used to performing it.”

Dr. Warrier recalled a January 2021 letter to Heart Rhythm, describing “a potential interaction between defibrillators and the iPhone 12, where the iPhone 12 is close by, to disable therapies.”

The study does not suggest that people with CVD who do not already drink start doing so. Interventional cardiologist Dr. Hoang Nguyen — who was not involved in the study — told MNT:

"A study showed that people with type A or B blood were 51% more likely to develop blood clots in the veins and 47% more likely to develop blood clots in the lungs," says Leann Poston. "Specifically, type A blood puts you at 6% higher risk of heart disease; Type B with a 15% higher risk; and Type AB puts one at 23% higher risk," says Hoang P Nguyen, MemorialCare.

Nikhil Warrier, MD, cardiac electrophysiologist and medical director of electrophysiology at Memorial Care Heart & Vascular Institute at Orange Coast Medical Center, tells Verywell that previous research does support this relationship between stress and cardiovascular issues. 

Stress raises blood pressure, which can tax your heart valves and prevent them from closing tightly, says Dr. Wong. One free and easy way to lower your overall anxiety is meditation.

“These findings are similar to prior studies with older adults. However, this is an observational study and thus does not prove causation,” she says. 

Doctor: Dr. Jennifer Wong, M.D.

Dr. Nikhil Warrier, the medical director of electrophysiology at Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, said the procedure “is an attractive option for closure or litigation in patients who are at high risk for stroke and not ideal candidates for long-term blood thinners.”

In addition to palpitations or rapid and irregular heart beat, a common symptom related to AFib is fatigue, notes Nikhil Warrier, M.D., a cardiac electrophysiologist at MemorialCare Heart & Vascular Institute at Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, California.

Coronary artery disease is caused by plaque buildup in the arteries of the heart in a process called atherosclerosis, which can start in one’s teens and 20s,” says Jennifer Wong, M.D.

“This is a very small percentage of [a specific group of] people who are reported to have this,” Dr. Wong says. It’s also important to take the risk-benefit ratio into account. The benefits of getting vaccinated so far outweigh the possibility of this rare condition, she says, if a cause-and-effect relationship is confirmed at all.

Said Dr. Wong: “I would feel comfortable recommending the handgrip exercise, especially given that most of the trials they looked at here were using hand exercises, and very few adverse effects seem to have been seen in these trials. I might even recommend it with additional aerobic exercise.”

People with a blood pressure range of 90 to 120 systolic and 60 to 80 diastolic have normal blood pressure, says Dr. Wong. A systolic reading below 90 signifies low blood pressure.

“We encourage [people],” said Dr. Wong, “to make small changes — small increases in physical activity like walking down that hallway instead of calling up your colleague.”

Some key lifestyle modifications to make to prevent or reduce this condition, says Dr. Wong, include limiting salt intake to 2.3 grams of sodium per day, adding in a potassium supplement (unless contraindicated by kidney disease), losing weight, getting in moderate-intensity aerobic exercise for 40 minutes three to four times per week, and reducing the number of alcoholic beverages you drink per week.

[Dr. Wong] points out that studies are needed to look into the effects of treating women at a lower blood pressure threshold before this would become common practice.

“Red meat consumption has been associated with an increased risk of heart disease as well as cancer and Type 2 diabetes,” says Jennifer Wong, MD

But, it is acceptable to take aspirin on occasion for other reasons, such as pain relief, assuming it doesn’t interact with other medications, says Dr. Patel. Taking aspirin in the short-term is not going to hurt you, but long-term everyday use is what’s concerning, he says.

But Dr. Patel urges people not to take the potential risks lightly that are associated with having a daily aspirin. "Even though this is an over-the-counter medication, it can cause serious side effects," he says. "The longer you take it, the more risk that you will have these side effects."

 "You may see stories of young athletes who collapse on the court or field and die—some of them have hypertrophic cardiomyopathy." Dr. Nguyen says that not everyone who has the condition will die suddenly. But, he adds, "the risk is there."