Soluble Fiber for Cholesterol: How Much You Need and the Best Sources
Soluble fiber can lower LDL cholesterol, especially when you get it consistently from foods such as oats, barley, beans, lentils, fruit, and psyllium. The...
Sparkling Water and Blood Pressure: Any Risks or Benefits?
Plain, unsweetened sparkling water is generally a blood-pressure-friendly drink. Carbonation itself has not been shown to raise blood pressure in healthy adults, and sparkling...
Stage 1 Hypertension: What It Means and What to Do Next
Stage 1 hypertension means your blood pressure is repeatedly in the 130–139 mm Hg systolic range, the 80–89 mm Hg diastolic range, or both....
Stair Climbing for Heart Health: Benefits, Safety, and How to Start
Stair climbing is one of the simplest ways to turn a normal part of the day into vigorous cardiovascular exercise. Going upstairs quickly raises...
Stanols vs Sterols: Differences, Evidence, and Best Food Sources
Plant sterols and plant stanols are closely related compounds that can lower LDL cholesterol by reducing how much cholesterol the intestine absorbs. For practical...
Statin Alternatives: Ezetimibe, PCSK9, Bempedoic Acid, and What to Ask Your Doctor
Statins remain the first-choice cholesterol medicine for many people because they lower LDL cholesterol and have extensive evidence for preventing heart attacks and strokes....
Statin Muscle Pain: Causes, What to Try, and When to Switch
Muscle aches are the most common reason people stop statins, but pain that happens while taking a statin is not always caused by the...
Statins: Benefits, Side Effects, and Who Should Take Them
Statins are cholesterol-lowering medicines used to reduce the risk of heart attack, ischemic stroke, and other complications of atherosclerosis. They work mainly by lowering...
Steps per Day for Heart Health: How Many You Need for Real Benefits
You do not need 10,000 steps a day to improve heart health. Research consistently shows that benefits begin well below that number, especially for...
Strength Training for Cholesterol: Can Lifting Improve LDL and Triglycerides?
Strength training can improve cholesterol and triglycerides, but the effect is usually modest and varies from person to person. The strongest evidence suggests that...
Strength Training for Heart Health: How Lifting Improves Blood Pressure and Sugar
Strength training is not just for building muscle. Done regularly, it can lower resting blood pressure, improve how your body handles glucose, reduce insulin...
Stress and Heart Disease: How Chronic Stress Raises Risk
Chronic stress can raise heart-disease risk, but not because every stressful day directly damages the heart. The risk builds through repeated activation of the...
Stress Eating and Heart Health: How to Break the Cycle Without Restrictive Dieting
Stress eating can affect heart health when it repeatedly pushes you toward large portions, sugary drinks, salty snack foods, alcohol, or highly processed meals....
Stress Reduction for Heart Health: Habits That Lower BP Without Medication
Stress reduction can help lower blood pressure, especially when it becomes part of a broader heart-healthy routine. Practices such as slow breathing, mindfulness, yoga,...
Stress Test Results Explained: What Normal and Abnormal Mean
A normal cardiac stress test means the test did not show concerning evidence of reduced heart blood flow, dangerous exercise-related rhythm problems, or an...
Stretching and Heart Health: What It Can and Can’t Do
Stretching is useful for flexibility, comfortable movement, and staying active, and newer research suggests regular stretching may also improve arterial stiffness and blood pressure....