EurekAlert! In the Spotlight - Heart Health Month

Welcome to In the Spotlight, where each month we shine a light on something exciting, timely, or simply fascinating from the world of science.

In recognition of Heart Health Month, we’re spotlighting the importance of cardiovascular wellness. From risk factors and prevention to innovative treatments, we’re exploring the science and stories shaping heart health today.

Latest News Releases

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 4-Sep-2025 17:11 ET (4-Sep-2025 21:11 GMT/UTC)

4-Sep-2025

Intense light therapy may lower risk of myocardial injuries after non-cardiac surgery

University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Intense light therapy after surgery can increase a critical protein that protects heart tissue while lowering levels of troponin, a protein indicating heart damage that’s linked to higher mortality in patients undergoing non-cardiac surgery, according to a study by researchers at CU Anschutz.

Journal: Annals of Translational Medicine

4-Sep-2025

Researchers identify gene associated with deadly heart disease in golden retrievers

North Carolina State University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers have discovered the first genetic mutation associated with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and sudden death in golden retrievers. The work could lead to increased early detection and disease prevention for the breed while further shaping our understanding of the disease in humans.

Journal: Circulation Genomic and Precision Medicine

3-Sep-2025

Living in a food desert doubles stroke risk for patients with atrial fibrillation, study finds

Tulane University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Patients with atrial fibrillation who live in neighborhoods with poor access to grocery stores face sharply higher odds of stroke and death, according to a new study from Tulane University. Compared with similar patients in better-served areas, those in food deserts had more than double the risk of ischemic stroke and nearly four times the risk of death.

Journal: JACC Advances

3-Sep-2025

Hurricane Sandy linked to lasting heart disease risk in elderly

Weill Cornell Medicine
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The study, published Sept. 3 in JAMA Network Open, found that older adults living in flood-hit areas in New Jersey faced a 5% higher risk of heart disease for up to five years after Sandy’s landfall. This is one of the first studies to rigorously quantify long-term cardiovascular risks associated with flooding in older adults. Most studies focus on the immediate consequences of severe weather events.

Journal: JAMA Network Open

3-Sep-2025

Study shows blood conservation technique reduces odds of transfusion by 27% during heart surgery

University of Oklahoma
Peer-Reviewed Publication

OKLAHOMA CITY – A University of Oklahoma study published Sept. 3 in JAMA Surgery reports that acute normovolemic hemodilution (ANH) – a blood-saving method in which a patient’s blood is collected before going on heart-lung bypass and reinfused near the end of cardiac surgery – remains underused in the United States at 14.7%. Yet the study found that ANH lowered the likelihood of a transfusion by 27%, a decrease in blood use that could cut costs substantially while still protecting patient safety and outcomes.

Journal: JAMA Surgery

3-Sep-2025

New research finds 62% of AFib patients were unaware of the condition before diagnosis

American Heart Association
Reports and Proceedings

New consumer patient research from the American Heart Association, conducted by The Olinger Group, finds that most people with AFib (62%) had no prior knowledge of the condition before being diagnosed.

2-Sep-2025

New study reveals diabetes changes the shape of our hearts

University of Sydney
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new study from the University of Sydney has revealed how type 2 diabetes directly alters the heart’s structure and energy systems, offering vital insights into why people with diabetes are at greater risk of heart failure.

Journal: EMBO Molecular Medicine
Funder: R.T. Hall Trust, National Health and Medical Research Council, National Heart Foundation of Australia