Articles
Heart health 11 min
A non-fasting triglyceride under 175 mg/dL is not flagged under the 2016 European consensus on non-fasting lipid testing, and the 2026 ACC/AHA guideline uses 175 non-fasting and 150 fasting in its list of risk-enhancing factors. In large studies a normal meal raised average triglycerides by at most 18 to 26 mg/dL.
Heart health 11 min
A home blood pressure monitor is accurate when its exact model has passed a clinical validation study under a recognized protocol, and in the US the place to check is the AMA's Validated Device Listing at validatebp.org. FDA clearance, a pharmacy shelf and star ratings do not establish accuracy, and the wrong cuff size can undo a validated device.
Heart health 12 min
Multiplying mg/dL by 2 to 2.5 gives only an estimate of Lp(a) in nmol/L. The European Atherosclerosis Society calls that range a best guess and advises against any standard factor, because apo(a) size varies from person to person and assays disagree.
Sponsored
4.0/5 our scoreAffiliate link, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Heart health 9 min
Pooling 73 randomized trials and 5,060 participants, a Cochrane review found walking reduced systolic blood pressure by 4.11 mmHg, on moderate-certainty evidence. Diastolic fell less, on weaker evidence, and the effect was similar whether participants started with normal or high blood pressure.
Heart health 8 min
The 2025 AHA and ACC guideline kept the four categories introduced in 2017 and changed what happens inside them. Stage 1 hypertension now triggers medication for anyone with cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, diabetes, or a PREVENT 10-year risk of 7.5 percent or more, and the overarching treatment goal is below 130 over 80 for all adults.
Heart health 6 min
Lp(a) is set by your genes, barely moves in a lifetime, and the European Atherosclerosis Society says to measure it at least once in adulthood. There is still no approved drug that lowers it, though the first large outcome trial reached its primary completion date in July 2026.
Heart health 5 min
Low HDL is a genuine risk marker, and every drug trial that raised HDL on purpose failed to help. One raised it by 72 percent and increased deaths. Here are the real categories, and why HDL is read rather than treated.
Heart health 11 min
No guideline publishes cholesterol targets by decade of age. Your calculated risk sets your LDL goal: the 2026 ACC/AHA guideline sets goals of under 100, 70 or 55 mg/dL by risk group and, in the material we could read, names one category, 190 mg/dL or higher. Here is where age enters (30 to 79 for its risk calculation, 40 to 75 for the USPSTF), the retired 2001 bands still seen online, and where these sources split by sex (HDL).
Heart health 4 min
ApoB counts every atherogenic particle (one ApoB per particle), while LDL-C weighs the cholesterol inside them. The two diverge in people with high triglycerides, diabetes or obesity, where LDL-C can look fine while the particle count runs high. The 2026 ACC/AHA guideline lists ApoB 120 mg/dL or higher as a risk enhancer and sets optional ApoB goals of under 90, 70 and 55 mg/dL by risk group.
Sponsored
4.0/5 our scoreAffiliate link, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
We are not sending the newsletter yet. Leave your address and you will get the first one when we turn sending on, and nothing before it. Every number sourced and dated. Free, no spam.
We'll never share your email. We never sell your data.
