A high-dose prescription fish oil pill has been shown to reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes. An FDA advisory panel voted in favor of expanded use of the drug.
Less than 10 percent of cardiovascular guidelines to help doctors are based on the most carefully conducted scientific studies. A lot of the rest are based on much flimsier evidence.
In the past few years, enthusiasts have touted coconut oil as the next great health food. But it contains high levels of saturated fat, which is associated with an increased risk of heart disease.
When NPR reported on research that sheds doubt on the value of fish oil and vitamin D supplements, people had a lot of questions. So we went back to the experts to get you some answers.
After 10 years, the government has updated its physical activity advice. The new message? Every little bit of movement helps you stay healthy and is better than sitting on your couch.
After years of debate, a major government funded study failed to find any overall benefit of taking widely used supplements to protect against heart disease or cancer.
A small study of teens who were conceived via assisted reproductive technology finds a significant number already have hypertension and premature "age-related changes" in their blood vessels.
As early as your mid-40s, especially if you're sedentary, your heart muscle can show signs of aging, losing its youthful elasticity and power. But moderately strenuous exercise can change that.
It was a medical miracle: Surgery that made it possible for babies born with heart defects to live to adulthood. But for some, those mended hearts start to falter decades later.
Not many patients have a heart that grows three sizes in a day. Cardiologist David Kass ponders what could have caused the Grinch's abrupt change of heart in the classic holiday story.
Researchers looked at hospital visits in Sweden's public health care system and checked them against dog registration records. They found dog owners had lower rates of heart disease.
New guidelines have lowered the threshold for high blood pressure to 130/80, which makes it even more important to get an accurate reading. Here's how to increase the odds of getting it right.
For years, we've been told that less salt is better. But some scientists say that the world's universal seasoning has been maligned and that moderate salt intake is healthier for many people.
The blood thinner warfarin, which prevents blood clots, owes its existence to some cows who got very sick after eating spoiled hay — and to a chemist who spent years trying to figure out why.
People who work in the hospitality and service industries were even less likely to know where to find an AED, according to a new survey. The devices can restart someone's heart after cardiac arrest.
AED-carrying drones beat ambulance times to the sites of previous cardiac arrest cases in a rural area of Sweden, a study finds. But this has yet to be tried in real emergencies.
African-Americans experienced a drop in blood pressure when they moved from highly segregated neighborhoods to more integrated areas, according to a study that followed people's health for decades.
Researchers use intermediate endpoints like how a drug lowers cholesterol to get a quick sense of whether the drug might improve health. But those shortcuts often don't show true benefits and harms.
The injectible drug Repatha is spectacularly good at lowering cholesterol. But the first big clinical trial of its ability to prevent heart attack and stroke finds smaller benefits.
Harry Selker has spent his life trying to come up with better ways to keep people from dying of heart attacks. Now he's intent on figuring out if a simple, cheap medication could be a game changer.
In the past 50 years, better medical care and healthier habits have greatly reduced the risk of dying young from heart disease. But the obesity epidemic threatens to reverse that happy trend.
Using gold, silicone and heart cells from a rat, scientists have made a tiny artificial stingray. The engineering involved in propelling it could help make a heart that's more than a mechanical pump.
Linda Johns was in the midst of a presentation at a Seattle bookstore when she suddenly felt intense flulike symptoms. But it wasn't flu. It was a heart attack, a type that hits healthy young women.
Many women and even doctors underestimate a woman's heart attack risk, research shows, as they focus on weight and breast health instead. Tiny damaged arteries in the heart may not show up in scans.
