Even in areas with moderate-to-high levels of traffic pollution, regular physical activity reduced the risk of first and recurrent heart attack, according to new research in Journal of the American Heart Association, the Open Access Journal of the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association.

Exercise is vital when it comes to being healthy – especially for preventing cardiovascular disease and stroke – yet fewer than one in four U.S. adults are getting the federal physical activity recommendations for aerobic and strengthening activity. The American Heart Association (AHA) has designated April as Move More Month in an effort to encourage Americans to increase their level of physical activity.

Hands-Only CPR training that uses new augmented reality technology developed by Google to create a life-like environment for users is now available to mobile device users, thanks to a partnership between the American Heart Association (AHA) and Google. The training can be accessed through the AHA’s mobile App, My Cardiac Coach™.

Severe combat wounds and chronic PTSD (posttraumatic stress disorder) may put service men and women at risk of having high blood pressure later, according to new research in the American Heart Association’s journal Hypertension. PTSD, a mental health disorder that stems from a traumatic or life-threatening event, has been previously linked to risk of high blood pressure and other issues, including substance abuse, obesity, coronary artery disease, and suicide.

A lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet, which includes eggs and dairy but excludes meat and fish, and a Mediterranean diet are likely equally effective in reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke, according to new research in the American Heart Association’s (AHA) journal Circulation. Previous separate studies have shown that a Mediterranean diet reduces certain risk factors for cardiovascular disease, as does a vegetarian diet; however, this was the first study to compare effects of the two distinct eating patterns.

Neighborhood-level socioeconomic factors in low-income areas may significantly predict heart failure risk beyond individual health factors and socioeconomic status, according to new research in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, an American Heart Association journal.

In women with heart disease, constriction of peripheral vessels during mental stress affects the heart circulation more than men’s, potentially raising women’s risk of heart-related events and death, according to new research in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology, an American Heart Association (AHA) journal. In most people, mental stress causes peripheral vessels to constrict. In people with heart disease, this effect can cause a reduction in blood supply to the heart muscle called “ischemia.”

More people would survive cardiac arrest if emergency medical dispatchers give chest compression-only CPR instructions over the phone and if infants and children receive chest compressions with rescue breaths, according to updated CPR guidelines published today by the American Heart Association (Association). The changes in the 2017 American Heart Association Focused Updates on Adult and Pediatric Basic Life Support and Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Quality also re-emphasize the importance of bystanders starting immediate chest compressions if they see an adult collapse in a suspected cardiac arrest.

Men develop a type of irregular heartbeat, known as atrial fibrillation, about a decade earlier than women on average, and being overweight is a major risk factor, according to a large new study published in the American Heart Association’s journal Circulation. In atrial fibrillation, the upper chambers of the heart, or atria, quiver instead of beat to move blood effectively.

Obesity rates in the U.S. have hit staggering new levels, according to recent data: 40 percent for adults and 20 percent for 12-to-19-year-olds. The CDC’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), which combines interviews and physical examinations to measure rates of disease across the entire nation, also revealed persistent disparities across different race-ethnicity groups.