Long-term follow-up of two randomized lifestyle intervention trials found that reducing visceral fat—not simply losing weight—was strongly associated with sustained cardiometabolic health benefits, and every 10% reduction in visceral fat lowered the future risk of type 2 diabetes by 28%. Researchers followed 366 participants from the 18-month CENTRAL and DIRECT-PLUS […]
A sham-controlled randomized trial demonstrated that pulsed field ablation (PFA) markedly reduced atrial fibrillation (AF) recurrence and burden while significantly improving quality of life and psychological distress compared with a sham procedure in highly symptomatic AF patients. In this single-blind study, 60 patients with severe AF-related quality-of-life impairment were randomized […]
A French prospective cohort study found that higher exposure to preservative food additives commonly used in industrial foods was associated with increased risks of high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Researchers analyzed data from 112,395 adults in the NutriNet-Santé cohort with a median follow-up of 7.9 years, using repeated […]
Coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD) was common in patients undergoing invasive coronary angiography and was associated with nearly double the risk of major cardiovascular events. In this prospective multicenter study from South Korea involving 1,003 patients with suspected ischemic heart disease, CMD was identified in 21.5% of patients with obstructive epicardial […]
Early initiation of sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors after Takotsubo syndrome was associated with significantly lower all-cause mortality in a large real-world U.S. study, although reductions in cardiovascular complications were not observed. Using the TriNetX U.S. Collaborative Network, researchers identified adults diagnosed with Takotsubo syndrome between 2015 and 2025 and compared […]
Blood pressure (BP)-lowering treatment significantly reduces the risk of major cardiovascular events in individuals with chronic kidney disease (CKD) across all stages, with effects comparable to those without CKD, although benefits are diminished in patients with coexisting diabetes. This one-stage individual-participant meta-analysis included 52 randomized controlled trials, of which 46 […]
While myocardial infarction (MI) accounts for a substantial proportion of sudden cardiac deaths (SCDs), most arrhythmic SCDs occur in individuals without previously diagnosed risk factors, often due to occult cardiac disease such as silent MI or dilated cardiomyopathy. In the 12-year US countywide POST SCD autopsy study, 943 presumed sudden […]
In patients with prior intracerebral hemorrhage, adding a single pill combining three low-dose antihypertensive agents to standard care significantly reduced recurrent stroke and major cardiovascular events compared with placebo. In this multinational, double-blind, randomized controlled trial of 1,670 clinically stable patients with baseline systolic blood pressure (BP) of 130–160 mm […]
In patients with established cardiovascular disease (CVD), calcium supplementation was associated with an increased risk of recurrent CVD events and related hospitalizations, particularly with calcium-only use and among men. In this large retrospective population-based study from Hong Kong, 17,720 matched patients receiving calcium supplements were compared with an equal number […]
Recent recommendations of US guidelines highlight the importance of treating dyslipidemia earlier in life, refining cardiovascular risk assessment, and adopting lower LDL cholesterol targets to reduce long-term exposure to atherogenic lipoproteins and prevent atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). Lifestyle counseling should begin in youth, with early pharmacologic therapy considered for individuals […]