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: 29-Oct-2025 03:11 ET (29-Oct-2025 07:11 GMT/UTC)

9-Jun-2025

NFL Alumni amplify 8 plays for heart health during Men’s Health Week

American Heart Association

To empower men to take control of their heart health during Men’s Health Week, June 9-15, the American Heart Association and NFL Alumni are spotlighting Life’s Essential 8™ — eight key components to prevent heart disease and stroke, leading causes of death and disability among U.S. men according to the American Heart Association 2025 Heart Disease & Stroke Statistics report.

5-Jun-2025

MRI-based method identifies high-risk cardiac sarcoidosis patients who would benefit from defibrillators

University of Minnesota Medical School
Peer-Reviewed Publication

New research from the University of Minnesota Medical School demonstrated that using cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging — known as CMR phenotyping — can help identify patients with suspected cardiac sarcoidosis who are at increased risk of sudden cardiac death. The findings were recently published in the European Heart Journal.

Journal: European Heart Journal
Funder: NIH/National Institutes of Health

5-Jun-2025

Ageing-related DEGs as biomarkers for heart failure with preserved ejection fraction

Compuscript Ltd
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is a complex clinical syndrome with high morbidity and mortality, commonly seen in the elderly population. The mechanisms underlying the pathophysiology of HFpEF are currently unclear; consequently, understanding these mechanisms is essential to identify biomarkers and develop targeted therapies.

Journal: Genes & Diseases
Funder: National Natural Science Foundation of China, Natural Science Foundation of Chongqing, China, Natural Science Foundation of Chongqing, China, Natural Science Foundation of Chongqing, China, Chongqing Education Committee of China, Program for Youth Innovation in Future Medicine, Chongqing Medical University

4-Jun-2025

P2Y12 drugs may be better than aspirin to prevent heart attack and stroke in patients with coronary artery disease

BMJ Group
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Giving a P2Y12 inhibitor anti-clotting drug to patients with coronary artery disease is associated with lower rates of cardiovascular death, heart attack and stroke compared with traditional aspirin, with no increased risk of major bleeding, finds a study published by The BMJ today.

Journal: The BMJ
Funder: Cardiocentro Ticino Institute, Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale, Switzerland and the Department of Cardiology at Bern University Hospital, Switzerland

4-Jun-2025

Virginia Tech researcher earns American Heart Association fellowship to explore how obesity increases the risk for heart disease

Virginia Tech
Grant and Award Announcement

Postdoctoral associate earned an American Heart Association fellowship to study how obesity affects pannexin-1 proteins in heart vessels, aiming to uncover new strategies to prevent coronary microvascular dysfunction and obesity-related heart disease.

Funder: American Heart Association

3-Jun-2025

Eating more phytosterols could lower your risk of heart disease and diabetes

American Society for Nutrition
Reports and Proceedings

Heart disease and type 2 diabetes rank among the leading causes of death and disability in the United States, and eating a healthy diet rich in plant-based foods can help to prevent or delay both of these conditions. New research suggests that a particular component of plant-based foods, known as phytosterol, could be instrumental in lowering the risk.

Meeting: NUTRITION 2025

3-Jun-2025

Study finds daily cup of beans boosts heart and metabolic health

American Society for Nutrition
Reports and Proceedings

A new study suggests that regularly eating a cup of beans a day may offer measurable benefits for heart and metabolic health. Incorporating beans into daily diets could serve as a simple, cost-effective way to reduce the risk of chronic diseases.

Meeting: NUTRITION 2025

2-Jun-2025

The heart of female elite athletes adapts differently than those of male elite athletes

Amsterdam University Medical Center
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Intensive exercise- and sport changes the heart of an athlete. Research led by Amsterdam UMC shows that the hearts of female athletes have different characteristics than those of male athletes. Whereas a thickening in combination with a dilation of the heart muscle is characteristic in male top athletes, dilation of the heart chambers is mainly seen in female elite athletes. An important observation that can help doctors to better distinguish between normal sports-related changes and possible heart disease in female athletes. These results were published today in European Heart Journal Cardiovascular Imaging.

Journal: European Heart Journal - Cardiovascular Imaging

1-Jun-2025

For heart health, food quality matters more than cutting carbs or fat

American Society for Nutrition
Reports and Proceedings

A new study that followed almost 200,000 people for several decades has found that when it comes to heart health, the quality of food consumed matters as much as following a low-carbohydrate or low-fat diet.

Meeting: NUTRITION 2025

1-Jun-2025

Higher linoleic acid levels linked to lower heart disease and diabetes risk

American Society for Nutrition
Reports and Proceedings

New research that used blood markers to measure linoleic acid levels and their relation to cardiometabolic risk adds evidence that this omega-6 fatty acid may help to lower risks for heart disease and type 2 diabetes. The findings challenge claims that seed oils are harmful to cardiometabolic health.

Meeting: NUTRITION 2025