Top news of March: CV impact of nutrition, COVID-19, psychedelics and more

Healio and Cardiology Today present the most-read cardiology articles for the month of March.

Readers were most interested in nutrition and CV mortality reduction; CV factors in COVID-19; the effects of psychedelics on hypertension; and more.

Five servings of fruits, vegetables per day may reduce mortality

Two servings of fruit and three servings of vegetables every day may be enough to reduce overall mortality and death from CVD, cancer and respiratory illness, according to research published in Circulation. Read more

Obesity, CVD, other factors mean 75% of US adults may be at risk for severe COVID-19

As many as three-quarters of the U.S. adult population has at least one risk factor for severe COVID-19 infection according to CDC guidelines, which could make vaccine prioritization difficult, researchers reported. Read more

High ultra-processed food consumption increases risk for CVD, CV death

Consuming large quantities of ultra-processed foods conferred elevated risk for CVD and CV death, according to a study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Read more

AF, atrial flutter in COVID-19 may be tied to inflammation

New-onset atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter are as common in hospitalized patients with influenza as with COVID-19, suggesting the connection between the arrhythmias and COVID-19 is related to the general inflammatory state. Read more

More patient education needed to ensure proper use of aspirin, statins in older patients

Many adults aged at least 75 years are taking aspirin for primary CVD prevention despite lack of evidence, whereas many are not taking statins for primary CVD prevention despite strong evidence, researchers reported. Read more

ACS misdiagnosed more often in women vs. men

Women experienced more frequent misdiagnoses of chest pain compared with men, according to a presentation at the virtual European Society of Cardiology Acute Cardiovascular Care Congress. Read more

Lifetime psychedelic use may reduce likelihood of hypertension

Lifetime classic psychedelic use, particularly tryptamines, may be linked to lower odds for hypertension in the previous year, according to data published in Hypertension. Read more

Poor sleep efficiency, longer wake up associated with increased CVD risk

Individuals with poorer sleep efficiency and longer time spent awake from sleep onset to final awakening had increased risk for incident CVD, according to results published in the Journal of the American Heart Association. Read more

Cancer tied to increased risk for acute MI, bleeding readmission after PCI

The odds of readmission for acute MI or major bleeding after PCI were greater among patients with cancer compared with those with no cancer, with the likelihood varying by cancer type and presence of metastasis, researchers reported. Read more

Time in systolic BP target range predicts major CV event risk

Among adults with hypertension and high CV risk, greater time with systolic BP within target range predicted reduced risk for major CV events independent of traditional CV risk factors, researchers reported. Read more