{"id":5984,"date":"2026-02-27T00:24:09","date_gmt":"2026-02-27T00:24:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=5984"},"modified":"2026-02-27T00:24:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T00:24:09","slug":"3-heart-health-myths-a-cardiologist-wishes-youd-stop-believing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=5984","title":{"rendered":"3 heart health myths a cardiologist wishes you&#8217;d stop believing"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>When it comes to matters of the heart, there\u2019s more to consider than hitting your weekly cardio goals at the gym.<\/p>\n<p>With new technologies like <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/02\/26\/health\/70-year-old-mans-life-is-saved-thanks-to-warning-from-mattress\/\">smart beds that register abnormal rhythms<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/02\/23\/health\/ai-t-shirt-could-reveal-deadly-heart-conditions-without-an-ekg\/\">T-shirts designed to alert wearers <\/a>to underlying heart conditions, patients have more tools to measure and track their heart health than ever before.<\/p>\n<p>Still, widespread misinformation has made it harder to understand and assess cardiovascular risk.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><button class=\"button button--modal-trigger\" aria-label=\"Open the image in a modal.\" data-modal-image=\"38615637\"><br \/>\n\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"icon-plus\" fill=\"#fff\" viewbox=\"0 0 1033 1000\" width=\"1em\" height=\"1em\"><path d=\"M380 364V0h273v355h380v290H653v355H380V645H0V355h380v9z\"\/><\/svg><br \/>\n<\/button><br \/>\n<figcaption>When it comes to heart health, cardiologists recommend being proactive rather than waiting for symptoms to arise. <span class=\"credit\">T Mdlungu\/peopleimages.com \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Medical experts like quadruple board-certified cardiologist <a href=\"https:\/\/cardiologyftlauderdale.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Dr. Tiffany Di Pietro<\/a> have seen the consequences of that misinformation in the form of patients who assume they\u2019re safe from cardiac complications, but very likely may be at risk.<\/p>\n<p>Given that cardiovascular disease is responsible for <a href=\"https:\/\/newsroom.heart.org\/news\/heart-disease-stroke-deaths-down-yet-still-kill-more-in-u-s-than-any-other-cause\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">more than a quarter of US deaths<\/a>, understanding heart health beyond the hearsay is critically important.<\/p>\n<p>To help people better advocate for the care they need, Di Pietro finally puts to bed some of the most common myths cardiologists hear from their patients.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-primary-tag\">\n<\/aside>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Myth: \u2018If my cholesterol is \u2018normal,\u2019 I\u2019m safe<\/strong>\u2018<\/h2>\n<p>Unfortunately, cholesterol isn\u2019t the only marker of cardiac troubles. Many of the risks associated with heart disease are driven by other factors, Di Pietro told The Post.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Some of those factors include genetics, inflammation, blood pressure, insulin resistance, a history of smoking and lifetime exposure to atherogenic particles, which promote fatty plaques in the arteries. The worst atherogenic particles in this case are ApoB\/LDL, Di Pietro said.<\/p>\n<p>The Environmental Protection Agency warns that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.epa.gov\/pmcourse\/particle-pollution-and-cardiovascular-effects\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">airborne atherogenic particles<\/a> from pollution significantly increase the risk of new or inflamed cardiovascular disease.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><button class=\"button button--modal-trigger\" aria-label=\"Open the image in a modal.\" data-modal-image=\"38615659\"><br \/>\n\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"icon-plus\" fill=\"#fff\" viewbox=\"0 0 1033 1000\" width=\"1em\" height=\"1em\"><path d=\"M380 364V0h273v355h380v290H653v355H380V645H0V355h380v9z\"\/><\/svg><br \/>\n<\/button><br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.49926794;display:block\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-modal-image=\"38615659\" width=\"885\" height=\"590\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/doctor-uses-stethoscope-female-patient-122265257.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"African American doctor in a lab coat using a stethoscope on the back of an Asian female patient.\" class=\"wp-image-38615659\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/doctor-uses-stethoscope-female-patient-122265257.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 5472w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/doctor-uses-stethoscope-female-patient-122265257.jpg?resize=300,200&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 300w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/doctor-uses-stethoscope-female-patient-122265257.jpg?resize=768,512&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 768w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/doctor-uses-stethoscope-female-patient-122265257.jpg?resize=1024,683&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, 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https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/doctor-uses-stethoscope-female-patient-122265257.jpg?resize=120,80&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 120w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/doctor-uses-stethoscope-female-patient-122265257.jpg?resize=1200,800&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 1200w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/doctor-uses-stethoscope-female-patient-122265257.jpg?resize=1038,692&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 1038w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/doctor-uses-stethoscope-female-patient-122265257.jpg?resize=87,58&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 87w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/doctor-uses-stethoscope-female-patient-122265257.jpg?resize=50,33&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 50w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/doctor-uses-stethoscope-female-patient-122265257.jpg?resize=150,100&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 885px) 100vw, 885px\"\/><figcaption>Though popular depictions rarely show it, heart disease is the leading cause of death in US women. <span class=\"credit\">Gregory Miller \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Ultimately, your cholesterol can only tell you so much about your overall heart health.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou can have a \u2018normal\u2019 standard panel and still have high ApoB, high Lp(a) or significant plaque on imaging,\u201d Di Pietro said.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Myth: \u2018Heart disease is mostly a men\u2019s problem<\/strong>\u2018<\/h2>\n<p>Despite what Hollywood might have you think, heart disease is the leading cause of death for US women, Di Pietro said, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.heart.org\/en\/news\/2024\/08\/14\/heart-attack-portrayals-in-movies-miss-the-mark-study-finds\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">especially black women<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ahajournals.org\/doi\/10.1161\/JAHA.123.034222\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">2024 study<\/a> in the Journal of the American Heart Association found that movies made between 1932 and 1922 rarely depicted victims of heart attacks as anyone other than white men.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>This portrayal has had an outsized influence on our perceptions of heart disease, leading many to overlook symptoms in women, which are sometimes different from our typical \u2014\u00a0occasionally dramatized \u2014 associations.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignright\">\n\t<\/aside>\n<p>\u201cSymptoms can be more subtle\u201d in women, Di Pietro said, including fatigue, nausea, shortness of breath and back or jaw pain.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Compared to what she calls \u201cthe classic \u2018crushing chest pain,\u2019\u201d heart disease in women is often invisible \u2014 and therefore potentially fatal.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDelayed recognition leads to worse outcomes,\u201d Di Pietro said.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Myth: \u2018High blood pressure is only a problem if I feel it<\/strong>\u2018<\/h2>\n<p>While you should definitely see a doctor if you\u2019re experiencing symptoms of high blood pressure, such as chest or unusual back pain, shortness of breath, numbness, weakness, changes in vision or difficulty speaking, it\u2019s also important to get ahead of those episodes.<\/p>\n<p>Hypertension is often symptom-free until it causes damage, Di Pietro explained. That could look like a stroke, heart failure or kidney disease.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The American Heart Association calls it a \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.heart.org\/en\/health-topics\/high-blood-pressure\/know-your-risk-factors-for-high-blood-pressure\/what-are-the-symptoms-of-high-blood-pressure#:~:text=If%20your%20readings%20are%20still,in%20vision%20or%20difficulty%20speaking.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">silent killer<\/a>\u201d for just this reason.<\/p>\n<p>As with most things related to the heart, Di Pietro says that \u201ctreating it earlier is one of the highest-yield ways to prevent events.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/02\/26\/health\/3-heart-health-myths-a-cardiologist-wishes-youd-stop-believing\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When it comes to matters of the heart, there\u2019s more to consider than hitting your weekly cardio goals at the gym. With new technologies like smart&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5985,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[42],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5984","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health-wellness"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5984","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5984"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5984\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5985"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5984"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5984"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5984"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}