Efficacy and Safety of Bempedoic Acid

In the prespecified analysis of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, bempedoic acid reduces LDL cholesterol, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, and risk of cardiovascular events among those with baseline diabetes, prediabetes, or normoglycemia, with or without cardiovascular disease at baseline. Between Dec 22, 2016, and Nov 7, 2022, 13 970 patients who were […]


Healthy Vegan Bettered Healthy Omnivorous Diet

A US randomized clinical trial of healthy adult identical twin pairs showed that a healthy plant-based diet offers a significant protective cardiometabolic advantage compared with a healthy omnivorous diet. The open-label, parallel, dietary randomized clinical trial enrolled 22 pairs of twins (N = 44, 34 female; mean age, 39.6 years; mean body […]


Early Life BP Linked to Adult Arterial Thickening

A Finnish randomized, infancy-onset cohort study indicated that accumulation of risk exposure to BP levels at all life stages contributed to adulthood carotid intima-media thickness (IMT). The study included 534 participants from July 1989 through January 2018 with annual BP (from age 7 months to 20 years), biennial IMT measurements […]


Progression and Regression of Subclinical Atherosclerosis

A Spanish longitudinal cohort study suggested that the impact of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and systolic blood pressure (SBP) on subclinical atherosclerosis (SA) progression might be more pronounced in younger participants. SA was quantified as global plaque volume (bilateral carotid and femoral plaque burden) in 3,471 asymptomatic participants (baseline age […]


Social Connection Issues Linked to Mortality

A UK prospective cohort analysis suggested that both functional (subjective) and structural (objective) measures of social connection were independently associated with all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality. The analysis included 458,146 participants with a median of 12.6 years follow-up, 33,135 (7.2%) deaths, including 5112 (1.1%) CVD deaths. Friends/family visit frequencies < monthly were […]


Differential Effect of BP-Lowering Agents on Microvascular Function

A multicenter, open-label, randomized crossover trial with blinded endpoint assessment in Europe revealed that 4 weeks of treatment with amlodipine, losartan, or atenolol resulted in differential effects on cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR) in patients with cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL) but not in patients with symptomatic […]