Help with the Headlines on Heart Health

A recent study found extreme temperatures and higher air pollution levels increased the risk of heart attack, especially for women and older adults. Women's Health Research at Yale helps with this headline.

February is American Heart Month, an opportunity for all people to focus on their heart health. With education and healthy lifestyle changes, the risk of cardiovascular disease can be reduced. Here are answers to four timely heart health questions.

A study published Jan. 18, 2022, in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that the overall and cause-specific risks of death were lower in women and men consuming higher levels of olive oil as opposed to butter, margarine, mayonnaise, and dairy fat. WHRY helps understand this headline.

A study published June 4, 2019 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found no evidence that choosing white meat over red meat reduced the undesirable type of cholesterol associated with elevated risk of cardiovascular disease. This study arrived before a “dietary guidelines recommendation” was published in an October 2019 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine suggesting that “adults continue current unprocessed red meat consumption.” This second study has drawn criticism from some nutrition experts for its conclusions. WHRY helps with this headline.

A study published Jan. 26, 2016 in the Journal of the American Heart Association concludes that consumption of caffeinated beverages did not cause a detrimental disturbance of cardiac rhythm (extra heartbeats called ectopy) that is associated with increased disease and death. WHRY helps with this headline.