New Atlas

Health & Wellbeing Audio available

Eating walnuts may reduce heart disease risk, by lowering blood pressure

Ben Coxworth May 2, 2019

We've already heard that eating walnuts may assist people in losing weight. Well, that's not all that they're potentially good for. A new study suggests that consuming the nuts might also help people at risk of heart disease to lower their blood pressure.

Walnuts contain an omega-3 that could lower blood pressure, although that's apparently not the whole story

Medical Audio available

Harvard scientists uncover how poor sleep leads to cardiovascular disease

Michael Irving March 19, 2019

The main risk factors for heart disease are lifestyle choices like a bad diet, smoking, lack of exercise – and poor sleep. That last point has gone relatively unstudied, but new research out of Harvard has found the chemical chain reaction that links disrupted sleep and cardiovascular disease.

Harvard researchers have uncovered the chemical chain reaction that links a lack of sleep to cardiovascular ...

Health & Wellbeing Audio available

Novel research links an aging gut microbiome with heart disease

Rich Haridy March 19, 2019

A new study suggests an aging gut microbiome may be somewhat responsible for the degradation in cardiovascular heath that tends to appear as we grow older. The study is yet another addition to the growing body of evidence affirming the role gut bacteria plays in age-related disease.

lder mice were found to have less diverse microbial populations that over-produce certain compounds that could ...

Medical Audio available

Positive human trial results for promising new cholesterol-lowering drug

Rich Haridy March 13, 2019

An entirely new cholesterol-lowering drug is on track for broad clinical approval after the latest trial results to be published reveal it is both safe and effective when administered in conjunction with commonly prescribed statins.

A new drug for lowering cholesterol is hoped to be available within the next one to ...

Science Audio available

Large meta-study reveals aspirin bleeding risks outweigh heart benefits

Rich Haridy January 22, 2019

A large meta-study from a team of UK researchers has examined data from over a dozen different clinical trials to conclude that the dangers of daily aspirin use may outweigh any potential benefits for individuals that are generally healthy.

The study concludes the bleeding risks associated with taking aspirin outweigh any potential cardiovascular benefits in ...

Medical Audio available

New AI-assisted ECG offers early heart disease detection

Rich Haridy January 8, 2019

Applying AI to ECG results may help doctors quickly identify patients at risk of heart failure. In a new study, an AI system was able to use ECG data to detect the presence of left ventricular dysfunction, a condition currently only detectable using more expensive and time-consuming imaging tests.

An AI system can effectively detect an early, pre-symptomatic stage of heart disease using simple electrocardiogram ...

Medical Audio available

Harvard's 3D-printed heart valves open the door to a perfect fit

Nick Lavars December 10, 2018

Scientists at Harvard University have broken new ground in applying 3D printing technology to the problem of damaged hearts, providing a potential new tool to keep blocked arteries open and the blood pumping freely.

Scientists have used 3D printed models of individual heart valves and calcium buildup to help carve ...

Medical

Prototype device listens to lungs to check the heart

Ben Coxworth November 29, 2018

One of the key symptoms of congestive heart failure is fluid accumulation in the lungs. Currently, people need to visit a clinic in order to check for such accumulation. Thanks to a new device, however, they may soon be able to perform checks whenever they want, in their own home.

The device takes the form of a stethoscope-like acoustic sensor which is hard-wired to a smartphone

Health & Wellbeing Audio available

Isolated Amazon tribes reveal clue to source of high blood pressure in the West

Rich Haridy November 14, 2018

A study of two isolated South American tribes has shed light on the influence of diet in the onset of hypertension, upending the common consensus that higher blood pressure is a direct, and inevitable, consequence of aging.

The isolated tribe showed no increase in blood pressure as they age, compared to a nearby ...

Health & Wellbeing

Study suggests that blue light reduces blood pressure

Ben Coxworth November 8, 2018

If you have high blood pressure, then you likely already know that it's the leading cause of stroke, and a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. So, besides things like medication, diet changes and exercise, what can be done to reduce it? Well, exposure to blue light may help.

According to the study, exposure to blue light causes a significant reduction in blood pressure