Dr. Michael Wong long ago decided that prevention and reversal of cardiovascular disease was his life work. He was there at the beginning of the preventive cardiology specialty and remains a proactive practitioner in this field today. EXCITING BREAKTHROUGH: We can now see coronary plaque composit...

DID YOU KNOW: Salt substitutes consistently appear to reduce the risk of cardiovascular events? ZOOM IN: Swapping the salt substitute potassium chloride for sodium chloride lowers blood pressure. BY THE NUMBERS: There were 21 trials and 31,949 participants WHY IT MATTERS: the risk of heart attack...

DID YOU KNOW?: Healthy adults who exercise were less likely to die of any cause during 3 decades of follow up. BY THE NUMBERS: The study team came to this conclusion after analyzing data from 116,221 adults from the Nurses’ Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, At the start...

DID YOU KNOW: Psoriasis, a chronic autoimmune disease affecting the skin and joints, can increase the risk for heart attack and is preventable. WHAT’S HAPPENING: In a study of 500,000 participants, poor lifestyle (overweight or obesity, smoking, lack of exercise, and poor diet) was associated wit...

DID YOU KNOW: Diabetes will develop in one year in one in 20 persons over 65 who have prediabetes (HbA1c 5.7-6.4% or FBS 100-125). WHAT’S HAPPENING: the health records of 2,045,999 adults in the US were reviewed over 4 years ending in 2018 across 10 geographically diverse US health care networks....

DID YOU KNOW? Aspirin does not prevent a first heart attack. WHY IT MATTERS: chronic aspirin administration can lead to gastro-intestinal bleeding and transfusion is sometimes needed. BOTTOM LINE: a healthy lifestyle works much better. Read these references by copying and placing in your browser...

DID YOU KNOW? Coronary Heart Disease in Women Is Often Missed or Dismissed. WHAT’S HAPPENING: While chest pain or discomfort is the most common sign of a heart attack in both sexes, women who have heart attacks are far less likely than men to have any chest pain at all. WHAT IT IS: Women often […...

DID YOU KNOW? Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) contributes to the risk of heart attacks. WHAT’S HAPPENING. Weight loss can reduce the need for CPAP therapy. WHAT IT IS: an 8-week interdisciplinary weight loss and lifestyle intervention significantly improved OSA severity. WHY IT MATTERS: At 8 weeks,...

DID YOU KNOW? Sleep deprivation can cause weight gain. WHAT’S HAPPENING: The fat accumulates around the abdominal organs (belly fat). WHY IT MATTERS: Belly fat is metabolically active and can signal diabetes, high triglycerides, and turn on inflammatory factors associated with heart attack. BOT...

WHAT’S HAPPENING: Ibuprofen, a common over-the-counter pain medication sold as Motrin or Advil, can react with blood-pressure medications such as ACE (angiotensin converting enzyme) inhibitors or ARBs (angiotensin receptor blockers). They were associated with a 31-percent increased risk of kidney...