Heart Health

Your Mouth May Help Unlock Beetroot’s Blood Pressure Effects

A short-term study found that sugary gum increased nitrite production after beetroot juice, but researchers say it is not a blood pressure strategy.

New Obesity Drug Guidance Says Medication Is Only Part of the Plan

A new American College of Physicians guideline recommends semaglutide and tirzepatide as first-line medication options for eligible adults, but says nutrition, physical activity, side effects, access and personal health goals still matter.

Lifestyle Changes for Prediabetes May Support Health Decades Later

A long-term follow-up of the Diabetes Prevention Program links intensive lifestyle changes to a lower burden of multiple chronic conditions in older age.

Moderate Drinking May Carry More Risk Than Many People Realize

A new modeling study found no overall health benefit from drinking, even at low levels, and estimated that the risk of alcohol-related harm increases as consumption rises.

What Americans Get Wrong About Diet and Cholesterol

A new survey suggests many people remain confused about how familiar foods affect blood cholesterol. The most useful advice is less dramatic than the debate often makes it sound.

Eating More Fruits and Vegetables Matters. Variety May Matter Too.

A new study found that many people who meet fruit-and-vegetable goals still consume relatively low levels of flavanols, plant compounds found in tea, apples, berries, beans and other foods.

Nutrition Labels May Not Tell the Full Story About Ultraprocessed Food

A new observational study found that health differences remained even after researchers accounted for overall diet quality, but it cannot prove that processing caused them.

Alcohol Raises Cancer Risk Even at Low Levels, Analysis Finds

A global analysis found clear links between alcohol and cancer and liver disease, while the evidence for some heart, metabolic and brain conditions was more complicated.

Tailored Meals Linked to Fewer Hospital Visits, Lower Health Care Costs

A Massachusetts Medicaid analysis suggests home-delivered, dietitian-designed meals may help some high-risk patients avoid costly medical emergencies.

Why Do So Many Men See Meat as Masculine?

A new poll suggests many men connect meat-heavy diets with masculinity, but most also say they would rethink those choices if their health were at risk.

Healthier Meals May Start with Just a Few Food Swaps

A computational study found that one to three food substitutions could improve modeled nutrition quality and lower meal costs, but the approach has not yet been tested with real users.

Teen Heart Health Markers May Be Linked to Brain Function

A Finnish study found blood lipid markers tied to slower processing speed in adolescents, suggesting heart and brain health may be connected earlier than many people realize.

Are Dairy Trans Fats the Same as Industrial Trans Fats?

A new review found no clear link between naturally occurring dairy trans fats and higher heart disease or type 2 diabetes risk, but the dairy-funded study needs careful context.

Some Food Preservatives Tied to Higher Blood Pressure Risk

A large French study found higher intake of certain preservative additives from processed foods was associated with higher risks of hypertension and cardiovascular disease.

Weight Loss Did Not Ease AFib Symptoms in Older Adults

A randomized clinical trial found a low-calorie diet program helped older adults with overweight lose weight safely, but it did not improve persistent atrial fibrillation symptoms or rhythm outcomes.

Waist Size and Body Fat May Reveal Health Risks BMI Can Miss

A large UK Biobank study found that combining waist circumference with body fat percentage helped identify people at higher risk for diabetes, heart events and chronic kidney disease, including some whose BMI did not place them in the obesity range.

Not All Ultraprocessed Foods Are the Same

A new expert panel report says food policies should account for both processing and nutritional quality, rather than treating every packaged food the same way.

Cutting Back on Alcohol May Reverse Some Health Risks

A new review finds alcohol contributes to a wide range of diseases and injuries, but some risks may fall when people reduce or stop drinking.

Red Meat Helped Shape Human Diets. Modern Eating Changed the Equation

A new review traces red meat’s complicated role in human evolution, health and disease, arguing that context matters as much as the food itself.

Eating More Beans, Soy Linked to Reduced Risk of High Blood Pressure

A major review of long-term studies found people who ate more legumes and soy foods were less likely to develop high blood pressure, though the research cannot prove these foods alone were responsible.

Heart Experts Say Ultraprocessed Foods May Raise Cardiovascular Risk

A major European cardiology consensus says diets high in ultraprocessed food are consistently linked to worse heart health, but much of the evidence remains observational.

Study Finds Many Major Restaurant Chains Miss Voluntary Nutrition Targets

A UK analysis of top restaurant chains found wide gaps in sugar, salt and calorie goals, raising bigger questions about whether voluntary nutrition standards are enough.

Could Updated Alcohol Warning Labels Make People Think Twice?

A national survey experiment suggests that redesigned alcohol warnings, especially those highlighting cancer risk, were perceived as more effective than current U.S. labels at encouraging people to consider drinking less.

Hidden Muscle Fat May Signal Heart and Metabolic Risk

A large MRI study found that fat stored inside muscle was linked to higher odds of blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol problems, even in adults without known disease.

Vegan Diet Cut Food Emissions More Than Mediterranean Diet in Small Trial

A randomized study found a low-fat vegan diet lowered food-related greenhouse gas emissions more than a Mediterranean diet while also improving several metabolic markers.