An American College of Cardiology scientific statement emphasizes that exercise should be prescribed as a core component of cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention and management, with the greatest absolute benefits occurring when physically inactive individuals begin exercising. The statement provides practical guidance for tailoring aerobic, resistance, balance, and flexibility training to […]
A systematic review and meta-analysis of 27 studies involving 88,830 participants found that intensive blood pressure (BP) lowering reduced the risk of major cardiovascular events by 15% for every 10-mm Hg reduction in systolic BP, regardless of chronic kidney disease (CKD) status. The estimated absolute reduction was 4.3 cardiovascular events […]
Preventive PCI was associated with a substantially lower risk of major cardiac events in patients with near-infrared spectroscopy–defined lipid-rich plaques (LRPs), but not in those without LRPs, suggesting that plaque composition may be more informative than plaque size alone in selecting lesions for preventive treatment. In this post hoc analysis […]
A healthy, balanced dietary pattern—not an emphasis on individual nutrients or foods—is central to preventing and managing cardiovascular and cardiometabolic disease, according to a new American College of Cardiology Scientific Statement. The statement reviews evidence on macronutrients, micronutrients, dietary patterns, ultra-processed foods, and emerging nutrition-based interventions, emphasizing that heart-healthy eating […]
Higher levels of chronic systemic inflammation were associated with smaller left ventricular volumes, compensatory increases in heart rate, and substantially higher cardiovascular risk in a large UK Biobank study. Among 488,079 participants with metabolomic, proteomic, cardiac MRI, and longitudinal data, higher inflammation measured by glycoprotein acetyls (GlycA) was associated with […]
Higher nighttime light exposure was associated with adverse changes in cardiac structure and function and increased risks of cardiovascular disease (CVD) events and death. In this UK Biobank population-based study, 11,071 participants with 7-day wrist-worn light measurements and subsequent cardiac MRI were evaluated, with high nighttime light exposure (>3 lux) […]
In a large randomized trial, atorvastatin 40 mg daily significantly reduced major cardiovascular events by 30% among community-dwelling adults aged 70 years or older without prior cardiovascular disease, diabetes, or dementia, but it did not significantly prolong disability-free survival over a median follow-up of 5.9 years. The double-blind, placebo-controlled trial […]
The recombinant shingles vaccine was associated with a 9% reduction in overall cardiovascular burden over 7 years among adults aged 60 years or older, based on a natural experiment that reduced confounding from existing studies comparing vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals. Researchers compared adults vaccinated immediately before versus immediately after the […]
In community-dwelling older adults without prior cardiovascular disease (CVD), new or persistent heart stress (HS)—defined by elevated NT-proBNP concentrations over 3 years—was associated with substantially higher risks of CVD and all-cause mortality, whereas HS remission was associated with risks similar to those of individuals who remained HS-free. In the observational […]
Waist circumference (WC) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) identified important differences in cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk that were not captured by conventional BMI categories, suggesting that central adiposity can reclassify CVD risk across normal weight, overweight, and obesity and provide additional diagnostic and prognostic information. The US Cross-Cohort Collaboration study included […]