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April 24, 2013 When gut microbes break down certain foods like red meat and eggs, they produce a compound tied to risks for heart attack, stroke and death, a study found. The research could lead to new ways to prevent heart disease by shifting the mix of gut bacteria.

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On All Things ConsideredPlaylist

April 3, 2013 A study of statin use in the real world found that 17 percent of patients taking the pills reported side effects, including muscle pain, nausea, and problems with their liver or nervous system. Many of those people quit taking the pills, at least temporarily.

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April 1, 2013 A study found that 1 in 5 adults ages 20 to 55 who survive strokes will die within 20 years of the event — a rate much higher than doctors expected. The findings mean doctors need to pay a lot more attention to younger stroke survivors.

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On Morning EditionPlaylist

March 14, 2013 Americans who suffer cardiac arrest in a hospital and are resuscitated have a 60 percent chance of being alive a year later, authors of a new study found. They also have a 45 percent chance of living for three years — better than the odds of surviving cancer.

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March 11, 2013 Living like a hunter-gatherer won't guarantee you'll be free of heart disease, according to a study of ancient human remains. Scans of mummies from preindustrial Egypt, Peru, the American Southwest and Alaska's Aleutian Islands finds evidence of hardened arteries thousands of yeas ago.

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March 7, 2013 Canadian researchers wondered whether automated defibrillators that can save the lives of people suffering cardiac arrest are being put where they're needed most. A study found a mismatch between public locations where the devices are available and where cases of cardiac arrest are most likely.

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February 25, 2013 There's no evidence that calcium supplements help prevent bone fractures in most people, a preventive services task force says. And calcium supplements boost the risk of kidney stones, and perhaps heart disease.

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February 25, 2013 People who stuck with diets rich in olive oil and nuts had about a 30 percent lower risk of experiencing a major cardiovascular problem, such as a heart attack or stroke, than people who followed a low-fat diet.

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February 8, 2013 Clearing the blocked artery of a stroke patient with a device snaked through the blood vessel was thought to salvage threatened brain cells and prevent disability. But multiple studies are casting doubt on that conclusion.

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January 11, 2013 Tredaptive was never approved in the U.S., but it has been sold in many countries around the world. A large, international study found the drug did not reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke, yet did trigger some serious side effects.

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December 10, 2012 Stroke is usually a problem that comes with age, but a surprising number of children have strokes, too. Many kids have conditions that put them at higher risk. But surgeons have developed a technique that cuts the risk in some of these kids by giving part of the brain a new blood supply.

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On Morning EditionPlaylist

November 13, 2012 For most people, a nonfasting cholesterol test will do just fine, a Canadian study suggests. A meal beforehand is unlikely to change key ratios of fats in the blood that doctors use to assess a person's risk for heart disease and stroke.

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November 6, 2012 A study in Denmark finds that visible signs of aging, such as a receding hairline and fatty deposits around the eyelids, may be a sign that you're at a greater risk for heart disease than others your age. But don't skip getting your cholesterol and blood pressure checked.

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October 10, 2012 The sickest heart attack patients in states that report publicly on quality may get less treatment than those in states that don't. Public reporting is supposed to help patients shop intelligently for health care. But do doctors and hospitals game the quality systems?

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September 19, 2012 The experimental treatment, which hasn't been tried in humans, encapsulates pure oxygen in microbubbles made of fat molecules. The bubbles look quite a bit like shaving cream, one of the researchers says.

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