Heart health and blood vessels – articles and advice
Blood pressure
Features and advice on heart health, circulation and vascular conditions. For in-depth reference, see our Patient Information Leaflets on heart health.
Blood pressure
High or low blood pressure can affect your health. Learn how it’s measured, what causes abnormal readings, and how to manage it with lifestyle or medication.
- DASH diet - healthy eating that helps lower blood pressure
- Blood pressure: understanding your readings
- Are UK blood pressure levels on the rise?
High blood pressure
- The best exercise if you have high blood pressure
- Video: How to reduce blood pressure
- Why is high blood pressure a big problem?
- High blood pressure in mid-30s could shrink your brain
- How to lower your blood pressure without medication
- Is your job putting your health at risk?
- On the rise: what causes high blood pressure in young adults
- Plant-based proteins could help prevent high blood pressure
Blood vessels
Blood vessels carry nutrients and oxygen around your body. Learn how they work, what can go wrong, and how to keep your circulatory system healthy.
- What is Chronic Venous Insufficiency?
- How to deal with Raynaud's in the winter months
- What's causing your cold hands and feet?
- Spider veins: why is winter leg care so important?
- How to prevent varicose veins
- Cheese could protect blood vessels from damage caused by high-salt diet
- 8 simple steps to boost your circulation
Heart attack
A heart attack happens when blood flow to the heart is blocked. Learn to recognise the warning signs and understand what treatments improve survival and recovery.
- The warning signs of a heart attack in women
- Having a heart attack when you're young
- When the heat rises, so do heart risks: What you need to know
- Video: What happens during a heart attack?
- Recovering after a heart attack
- What does a doctor do when they have a heart attack?
- How to minimise the risk of a second heart attack
- Can stress cause heart attacks?
- Is it indigestion or a heart attack?
- The importance of learning CPR
- The importance of learning CPR: Emma tells her story
- How diet can reduce your risk of stroke and heart attack
- Am I having a panic attack or a heart attack?
- What should you do if someone goes into cardiac arrest?
Heart disease
Heart disease includes conditions affecting the heart’s structure and function. Discover the symptoms, risks, and lifestyle changes that can protect your heart.
- Is cardiomyopathy genetically inherited?
- New blood test could diagnose heart failure earlier
- What is the most common cause of sudden cardiac death?
- What is alcoholic cardiomyopathy?
- How to manage stress when living with cardiomyopathy
- This is what cold weather does to your heart
- Being 'pear-shaped' may lower risk of heart disease in women
- Can you die from a broken heart?
- Celebrities and their heart problems
- Four-in-one pill could prevent heart problems
- Who should take aspirin every day?
- Why the heart disease gender gap is costing women their lives
- Drug trials of new hypertrophic cardiomyopathy treatment brings hope to patients
- Dilated cardiomyopathy causes: what are the risk factors?
- What's the link between mental health and heart disease?
- Diabetes increases heart failure risk, particularly in women
- Insomnia linked to increased risk of heart disease and stroke
- What does smoking do to your heart?
Heart health
Heart health involves understanding your risk, making healthy choices, and taking steps to reduce your chances of getting heart disease.
- What is the TLC diet and can it improve your heart health?
- A vegan diet improves heart health, according to a study of identical twins
- How healthy is your heart?
- Anatomy of the heart and blood vessels
- 6 workday habits that keep your heart healthy
- Healthy Hanukkah food for your weight, heart and diabetes
Heart palpitations
Palpitations feel like a racing or fluttering heart. Discover common causes, when to seek help, and how doctors check your heart rhythm.
High cholesterol
Too much cholesterol in your blood increases heart disease risk. Learn how it’s diagnosed and treated, and how diet and exercise can help lower it.
- What's the link between menopause and cholesterol?
- How to lower your cholesterol
- Understanding your cholesterol levels
- How to lower cholesterol without statins
- How to shop for a low cholesterol diet
- Does your wedding menu cater for low cholesterol diets?
- Do light beers have any health benefits?
- Eating out with high cholesterol
- Have TV chefs given us high cholesterol?
- Review: Home cholesterol testing kits
- Why you need to check your cholesterol
- Can you lower cholesterol through diet alone?
- Twice-yearly cholesterol jab could replace daily statins
- Stopping statins after 75 increases heart attack risk
- The pros and cons of statins
- How can I avoid statin side effects?
- How your diet affects your heart
Stroke
A stroke happens when blood flow to the brain is blocked. Discover the signs, urgent response steps, and treatments that help with recovery.
- How diet can reduce your risk of stroke and heart attack
- Insomnia linked to increased risk of heart disease and stroke
- How to reduce your risk of stroke?
- How to support a loved one after a stroke
- How does having a stroke affect your sex life?
- How to cope with isolation after a stroke
- What is the link between stroke recovery and gut health?
- Your guide to stroke prevention
- How to spot a mini-stroke: early signs and symptoms