PHOENIX — Current genetic screening guidelines fail to identify most people with an inherited condition known as familial hypercholesterolemia that can cause dangerously high cholesterol and early heart disease, a Mayo Clinic study found. 

The condition often passes silently through families for generations. It is highly treatable, yet people who remain undiagnosed are at greater risk for heart attacks and strokes. 

Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death in the United States, affecting millions of adults each year. It includes conditions such as coronary artery disease, heart failure and stroke. One of its key risk factors is high cholesterol. 

The study, published in Circulation: Genomic and Precision Medicine, suggests that routine screening could identify the majority of people with the inherited condition and, ultimately, save lives. 

Study reveals missed diagnoses 

Researchers found that nearly 90% of those with familial hypercholesterolemia would not have been flagged for standard genetic testing and were unaware they had the condition until DNA testing in a Mayo Clinic population-based research study identified them. About 1 in 5 had already developed coronary artery disease. 

"Our findings expose a blind spot in current national guidelines, which rely on cholesterol levels and family history to determine who should receive genetic testing," says Niloy Jewel Samadder, M.D., lead author and a Mayo Clinic gastroenterologist and cancer geneticist at the Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center. "If we can find those at risk of cardiovascular disease early, we can treat it early and change its course and likely save lives." 

Familial hypercholesterolemia is one of the most common genetic conditions, affecting an estimated 1 in 200 to 250 people worldwide. It causes very high levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol — the "bad" cholesterol — from birth.  

"Our findings expose a blind spot in current national guidelines, which rely on cholesterol levels and family history to determine who should receive genetic testing. If we can find those at risk of cardiovascular disease early, we can treat it early and change its course and likely save lives." 

The study analyzed data from exome sequencing, a form of genetic testing that reads the protein-coding regions of the genome — where most disease-causing variants are found. The research included more than 84,000 participants across Mayo Clinic sites in Arizona, Florida and Minnesota through the Tapestry DNA research study, part of the institution's effort to integrate genomics into everyday patient care.  

The research team identified 419 people with genetic variants known to cause familial hypercholesterolemia. They found that nearly 75% of those individuals would not have met current clinical criteria for genetic testing based on their cholesterol levels or family history. This represents a missed opportunity for disease prevention.  

Integrating genetics into preventive care 

Dr. Samadder says the next step is to bring genetic screening into routine care to identify high-risk patients earlier and start treatment sooner. 

The work is part of Mayo Clinic's Precure strategic priority, which aims to predict and prevent serious diseases before they advance. Through innovative technologies and population-based studies, Precure is designed to bring prevention-focused care directly to patients sooner.  

For a complete list of authors, disclosures and funding, review the study.    

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About Mayo Clinic  
Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization committed to innovation in clinical practice, education and research, and providing compassion, expertise and answers to everyone who needs healing. Visit the Mayo Clinic News Network for additional Mayo Clinic news.  

Media contact:

• Terri Malloy, Mayo Clinic Communications, newsbureau@mayo.edu

The post Most people with a genetic condition that causes significantly high cholesterol go undiagnosed, Mayo Clinic study finds   appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

ROCHESTER, Minn. — At Mayo Clinic, cardiologists Peter Noseworthy, M.D., and John Giudicessi, M.D., Ph.D., are uncovering the earliest signs of a genetic heart condition that often strikes without warning. Their work shows that early detection, and even prevention, may be possible long before symptoms appear. 

The condition, arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy, weakens the molecules that hold heart cells together. As those bonds deteriorate, healthy muscle is replaced with scar tissue and fat, leaving the heart weaker.  

The disease often advances silently. Sometimes the first sign is when a person suddenly collapses during exercise. For many, a diagnosis comes only after the heart is already damaged. Detecting it earlier could spare patients from heart failure, the need for a transplant or sudden death. 

"We spend so much time managing the consequences of this disease — ablations, transplants, repeated hospitalizations. It's a much better paradigm to ask: What can we do to prevent this in the first place?" 

"We spend so much time managing the consequences of this disease — ablations, transplants, repeated hospitalizations," Dr. Noseworthy says. "It's a much better paradigm to ask: What can we do to prevent this in the first place?" 

Leading a new era of heart care 

Dr. Noseworthy leads Mayo Clinic's Division of Heart Rhythm Services, where he cares for patients with heart rhythm disorders and helps guide innovation strategies across the institution. Much of his research centers on using digital tools and artificial intelligence (AI) to detect problems earlier and improve patient care. 

Dr. Giudicessi, a genetic cardiologist, focuses on inherited heart rhythm conditions and how genetic changes influence who develops disease. His work bridges patient care and laboratory research, including first-in-human clinical trials that explore the potential of gene therapy. 

Together, they turned to two powerful data sources: the genetic code that shapes the heart and the electrical signals that guide its rhythm. 

"So much of medicine is reactionary — we wait for something bad to happen. This work is ushering in the tools to push against disease and to identify it early." 

Pinpointing risk in genes and rhythm  

Their search for answers started in Mayo Clinic's new Research Data Atlas, which unites decades of genetic, clinical and biospecimen data. Within it, they identified people carrying disease-causing mutations in PKP2, the gene most often linked to this disease.  

About 1 in 2,000 people carry a mutation in the PKP2 gene, but many never develop the disease. The challenge is knowing who will — and stepping in early enough to change the outcome. That question drives Dr. Giudicessi's work. 

"So much of medicine is reactionary — we wait for something bad to happen," Dr. Giudicessi says. "This work is ushering in the tools to push against disease and to identify it early." 

To spot those early rhythm changes, the team drew on an AI model developed by Mayo Clinic cardiologist Ammar Killu, M.B.B.S., and his team.  

Analyzing electrocardiograms from patients with a PKP2 mutation, the AI helped the researchers identify faint patterns that marked the first signs of disease.  

"This research shows how AI can help us identify really subtle changes that may facilitate earlier diagnosis and then allow us to move beyond individual cases to understand patterns across populations."

"This research shows how AI can help us identify really subtle changes that may facilitate earlier diagnosis and then allow us to move beyond individual cases to understand patterns across populations," Dr. Killu says. "It's a powerful example of how we can scale early detection to reach more patients before disease takes hold." 

Those insights led to a next step. Guided by the AI findings, Dr. Noseworthy and Dr. Giudicessi provided smartwatches to people who were showing early signs of disease. The devices help track daily activity levels — important data, since strenuous exercise can accelerate the disease, while even small adjustments may help slow it. 

The researchers are also exploring gene therapy for PKP2. Still in early testing, the approach may one day restore the missing gene and keep the disease from advancing. 

Building medicine's next chapter 

Their work is part of a larger shift at Mayo Clinic: predicting and preventing disease before it takes hold. That vision drives Precure, an initiative to intercept serious conditions early enough to alter their course. With tools like the Research Data Atlas, investigators can study health patterns across large populations, detect risk sooner and potentially guide people to care before disease advances. 

For Dr. Noseworthy, Dr. Giudicessi and Dr. Killu, the vision is bigger than a single study. They are helping build the infrastructure to move medicine earlier in the course of disease, where illness can be intercepted at scale. 

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About Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization committed to innovation in clinical practice, education and research, and providing compassion, expertise and answers to everyone who needs healing. Visit the Mayo Clinic News Network for additional Mayo Clinic news.  

Media contact:

• Terri Malloy, Mayo Clinic Communications, newsbureau@mayo.edu

The post Mayo Clinic researchers use AI and genetics to identify early signs of a rare, life-threatening heart condition appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

PHOENIX — Mayo Clinic researchers have developed a pioneering method to mend damaged hearts without open-heart surgery, an advance that could one day transform the treatment of heart failure. 

The new approach uses lab-grown heart tissue made from reprogrammed adult stem cells, delivered through a tiny incision rather than a surgically opened chest cavity. In preclinical testing, the stem cell patch restored heart function and improved healing.

"For patients with severe heart failure, there are very few options beyond mechanical pumps or transplants. We hope this approach will offer a new way to repair their own hearts," says Wuqiang Zhu, Ph.D., senior author of the study published in Acta Biomaterialia and a cardiovascular researcher at Mayo Clinic in Arizona.

Reversing the irreversible

Heart attacks remain one of the leading causes of death worldwide. When blood flow to the heart is blocked, oxygen-starved cells die and are replaced by scar tissue that cannot contract or conduct electrical signals — weakening the heart’s ability to pump blood.

"The adult human heart doesn't regenerate once those cells are lost," Dr. Zhu explains. "That's why heart failure, especially chronic heart failure due to the loss of functional cardiac muscle, is often difficult to treat; the muscle simply can't repair itself."

For years, scientists have been working on ways to replace damaged tissue with healthy heart cells derived from stem cells. Early efforts showed promise, but most required open-heart surgery — a procedure too risky for many patients already struggling with severe heart failure.

Scientists have long hoped that stem cells could provide a way to rebuild what the body cannot. By reprogramming ordinary adult cells such as skin or blood cells into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), researchers can coax them into becoming replacement heart cells.

But safely and effectively delivering engineered heart tissues made from these cells has remained a major challenge.

Innovation at heart

In collaboration with engineers at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, Mayo researchers developed a flexible, paper-thin patch made of nano- and microfibers coated with gelatin. This hybrid scaffold supports a blend of human heart muscle cells, blood vessel cells and fibroblasts—cells that form the tissue’s structural framework—to create a living, beating piece of heart tissue. Before transplantation, the tissue is infused with bioactive factors such as fibroblast growth factor 1 and CHIR99021 that encourage the growth of new blood vessels and help the cells survive once they are in place.

"The beauty of this design," says Dr. Zhu, "is that it can be folded like a piece of paper, loaded into a slender tube, and delivered precisely where it's needed through a small incision in the chest. Once in place, it unfolds and adheres naturally to the heart's surface."

Instead of using stitches, the team used a biocompatible surgical adhesive that holds the patch in place while minimizing additional trauma to the surrounding tissue.

Testing in preclinical models showed that the minimally invasive method improved heart function, reduced scarring, enhanced vascular growth and lessened inflammation compared with conventional approaches.

"Our results show that these engineered tissues not only survive but actually help the heart heal itself," says Dr. Zhu. "That's the ultimate goal: to replace what's lost and restore function."

A step toward regeneration

The research aligns closely with Mayo Clinic's Genesis Initiative, which aims to accelerate discoveries that restore or regenerate human organs and tissues.

"Genesis is about pioneering new ways to repair and rebuild the human body," Dr. Zhu says. "What we're doing here is exactly that — using regenerative science and minimally invasive delivery to give the heart a chance to recover."

Currently, more than 4,000 heart transplants are performed in the United States each year, while thousands more patients die waiting for a donor organ. Dr. Zhu hopes this technology could eventually offer another option.

"Our vision," he says, "is that patients could one day receive engineered heart tissue made from their own reprogrammed cells, delivered through a minimally invasive procedure — no donor organ, no long recovery, just a repaired heart."

Next steps

The Mayo Clinic team plans to advance this work through larger-scale preclinical testing to ensure the therapy's safety and effectiveness before moving to human clinical trials, a process that Dr. Zhu estimates could take five years or more.

"Heart failure remains a devastating condition," he says. "If we can make stem cell treatment accessible to more patients, especially those too fragile for open-heart surgery, we could save lives."

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About Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization committed to innovation in clinical practice, education and research, and providing compassion, expertise and answers to everyone who needs healing. Visit the Mayo Clinic News Network for additional Mayo Clinic news. 

Media contact:

• Terri Malloy, Mayo Clinic Communications, newsbureau@mayo.edu

The post Mayo Clinic researchers identify a new stem cell patch to gently heal damaged hearts appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Mayo Clinic researchers have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm that can identify obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) using the results from an electrocardiogram (ECG) – a common heart test. The innovation could make it faster, cheaper, and easier to spot sleep apnea, particularly in women, who are often underdiagnosed.

A common but underrecognized condition

OSA affects more than 936 million adults ages 30-69 worldwide and poses significant cardiovascular risks. People with OSA experience repeated episodes of upper airway collapse or blockage during sleep. This collapse causes breathing to stop or become shallow repeatedly, which often leads to loud snoring and gasping. Despite its prevalence, it often goes undiagnosed.

"Obstructive sleep apnea or OSA is a highly prevalent disease with important cardiovascular consequences," says Virend Somers, M.D., Ph.D., Alice Sheets Marriott Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine and senior author of the study published in JACC: Advances. "OSA affects the heart to the point where AI algorithms can detect the OSA signature from the ECG, which in essence is a representation of the electrical activity of the heart muscle cells," Dr. Somers adds.

AI model shows strong performance — especially for women

In the study, the researchers used AI algorithms to review the 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) test results of 11,299 patients at Mayo Clinic who had undergone the test along with sleep evaluations. More than 7,000 of them had a known diagnosis of OSA, and 4,000 were controls.

"The most surprising finding was the increased visibility on the ECG of OSA in the females compared to the males, even though the OSA severity was less in the females," says Dr. Somers.

"This is relevant since emerging data consistently suggest that females have a greater relative likelihood of suffering the cardiovascular consequences of OSA, even if their OSA may be considered 'milder' by standard diagnostic criteria," he adds.

The test also strongly suggests women may suffer more damage to their heart muscle cells from OSA, Dr. Somers says.

Dr. Somers underscores that this approach may have the potential to evaluate whether a given OSA treatment may be able to reduce a patient's cardiovascular risk.

Review the study for a complete list of authors, disclosures and funding.

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About Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization committed to innovation in clinical practice, education and research, and providing compassion, expertise and answers to everyone who needs healing. Visit the Mayo Clinic News Network for additional Mayo Clinic news.

Media contact:

• Terri Malloy, Mayo Clinic Communications, newsbureau@mayo.edu

The post How Mayo Clinic experts are using AI to better detect sleep apnea, especially in women appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

ROCHESTER, Minn. — The American Heart Association and the Minnesota Department of Health recently recognized Mayo Clinic in Rochester as a Heart Safe business. This honor reflects the commitment of Mayo's teams to prepare for cardiac emergencies, provide exceptional care and lead by example in the community. 

What the designation means 

The designation program aims to save people from sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) by helping businesses assess their preparedness for cardiac emergencies and find gaps where improvements can be made. Recognition is earned by demonstrating strength in key areas such as: 

• CPR and automated external defibrillator (AED) training: Equipping staff with lifesaving skills.  
• Cardiac Emergency Response Plan: Establishing clear, written steps to follow, allowing people to act quickly during a cardiac arrest to reduce deaths.  
• AED placement: Ensuring AEDs are readily accessible. 
• Community and awareness: Hosting education sessions, social media campaigns and community CPR/AED events.   
• Workforce well-being initiatives: Offering resources and tools to support employee health.  

How Mayo Clinic achieved this designation 

The idea to apply for the Heart Safe business designation came from Jessica Nelson, a registered nurse in Heart Rhythm Services at Mayo Clinic, who brought it to the Mayo Clinic Cardiovascular Nursing Division Coordinating Council. The Council recognized the program's alignment with the Department of Nursing’s goal to be a global leader and set the application process in motion, supported by a broad coalition across Mayo Clinic, including the leadership teams of Nursing, Legal, Emergency Medical Services (EMS - Gold Cross), Administration, Communications, Stroke and the Cardiovascular Department.  

In a statement, members of the Mayo Clinic Cardiovascular Nursing Division Coordinating Council shared, "Because we are Mayo Clinic and set the example for many other healthcare institutions, we felt we should pursue this designation to highlight the outstanding work that the Department of Cardiology does in alignment with Mayo Clinic's top ratings." 

This designation serves as a recognition of the hard work, dedication and excellence of Mayo Clinic's staff and reflects the organization's ongoing commitment to patient care, staff safety and community leadership. 

Next Step: Heart Safe Community 

This recognition is one of several affirmations of Mayo Clinic's highest level of care. The next goal is to pursue the Heart Safe Community designation in partnership with the City of Rochester.  

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About Mayo Clinic 

Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization committed to innovation in clinical practice, education and research, and providing compassion, expertise and answers to everyone who needs healing. Visit the Mayo Clinic News Network  for additional Mayo Clinic news.  

Media contacts:  

• Terri Malloy, Mayo Clinic Communications, newsbureau@mayo.edu 

The post Mayo Clinic earns Heart Safe Business designation  appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I've read so much about the health benefits of tracking my steps. But there's a lot of confusing information out there. How many is the right number? Are some "steps" better for you than others? Please help.

ANSWER: Whether you're tracking steps with your phone, a smartwatch or an old-school pedometer, the result is the same: you'll have a good indicator of how much you're moving during the day. The best device for you is the one you'll use. With many devices, you can set up alerts and goals that remind you to move. And that's what counts. The ultimate goal is to move 150 minutes per week.

Reaping the benefits

You're right about the health benefits of getting in your steps. Here's what walking can help you do:

• Control your blood pressure.
• Lose or maintain weight.
• Improve balance and coordination.
• Increase core strength.
• Manage stress and improve mood by releasing endorphins.
• Manage your diabetes.
• Reduce the risk of a heart attack.
• Reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
• Stay strong and active.

Walking also has been shown to:

• Improve sleep.
• Slow mental decline.
• Lower the risk of dementia.
• Reduce the risk of some cancers.
• Help you lead a longer life.
• Maintain independent living into older age.

If you're on a medically assisted weight-loss journey, whether that's bariatric surgery or a GLP-1 drug, being physically active will help burn calories, build strength, maintain muscle mass and bone density, and promote sustainable weight loss. It also can help medications work better.

Tracking steps

Is there a magic number of steps for reaping these health benefits? Not really. If you can get in 10,000 steps a day, great. Research has shown that 10,000 steps a day can lead to reductions in premature death, with a majority of that reduction happening between 4,000 and 8,000 steps. After 10,000, you'll still see benefits, but they start to plateau. 

How you get your steps doesn't really matter. Walking has a cumulative effect on your body across your day. So whether you walk your dog for 15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes at night, go for a brisk 30-minute walk or spend an hour moving around the house or working in the yard, those steps all count.

Getting started

The best way to start tracking your steps is to take it slow and steady. Listen to your body — it will tell you whether you're trying to do too much. Work more steps into your day by parking farther away from entrances, walking in place while you're waiting for the timer on the microwave to go off, and making multiple trips to bring in packages rather than loading up in just one. You may want to consider getting a walking pad and use it while watching TV or doing food prep in the kitchen.

Setting the pace

When you're advised to go for a brisk walk, what does that mean? "Brisk" is different for everyone. The average walking speed to aim for is 3 to 3.5 mph, which a device can help you measure. If you can walk faster safely, great. However, walking slowly is better than not walking at all and will still give you the benefits of moving your body.

The talk test is an easy way to identify a proper intensity. If you're able to talk but find it difficult to carry on a full conversation, that's "brisk" for you. You may not be out of breath, but your breathing is definitely elevated. New research indicates that brisk walking can boost brain function and well-being, as well as physical health.

Even if you're able to get in a little bit of walking every day, your body responds to this exercise, and you gain the benefits.

By Mackenzie Long, Physical Therapy/Sports Medicine, Mayo Clinic Health System, La Crosse and Onalaska, Wisconsin

The post Mayo Clinic Q&A: Health benefits of counting steps appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

ROCHESTER, Minn. — A new Mayo Clinic study finds that many heart attacks in people under 65 — especially women — are caused by factors other than clogged arteries, challenging long-standing assumptions about how heart attacks occur in younger populations.

Study findings published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology examined over 15 years of data from the Rochester Epidemiology Project, providing the most comprehensive population evaluation of heart attack causes in people aged 65 and younger.

More than half of heart attacks in women under age 65 were caused by nontraditional factors, such as spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD), embolism and other conditions unrelated to artery-clogging plaque. Heart attack incidence was significantly lower in women than in men — but when women did have heart attacks, the underlying causes were often misdiagnosed.

SCAD, which typically affects younger, otherwise healthy women, was frequently missed and misclassified as a typical heart attack due to plaque buildup. The most common cause of heart attack in both sexes was atherosclerosis, or artery-clogging plaque, but this accounted for only 47% of heart attacks in women, compared to 75% in men. Five-year mortality rates were highest in people who had heart attacks triggered by stressors such as anemia or infection, even though these patients had lower heart injury levels.

"This research shines a spotlight on heart attack causes that have historically been under-recognized, particularly in women," says Claire Raphael, M.B.B.S., Ph.D., an interventional cardiologist at Mayo Clinic and first author of the study. "When the root cause of a heart attack is misunderstood, it can lead to treatments that are less effective — or even harmful."

This new understanding could save lives. A misdiagnosed SCAD, for example, may be treated with a stent unnecessarily, increasing the risk of complications. Recognizing and correctly diagnosing these nontraditional heart attacks allows for more appropriate care and better long-term outcomes.

Key findings from the study:

• Out of 1,474 heart attacks, 68% were from typical plaque buildup (traditional heart disease), but nontraditional causes made up a majority of heart attacks in women.
• SCAD was nearly 6 times more common in women than men.
• Heart attacks caused by stressors such as anemia or an infection were the second-most common cause overall, and the deadliest, with a five-year mortality rate of 33%.
• Truly unexplained heart attacks were rare, making up less than 3% of cases after expert review.

Overall, the study provides insights that could reshape how heart attacks are diagnosed and managed in younger adults.

"Our research highlights the larger need to rethink how we approach heart attacks in this patient population, and for younger adult women, in particular. Clinicians must sharpen their awareness of conditions like SCAD, embolism and stress-related triggers, and patients should advocate for answers when something doesn't feel right," says Rajiv Gulati, M.D., Ph.D., chair of the Division of Interventional Cardiology and Ischemic Heart Disease at Mayo Clinic. Dr. Gulati is senior author of the study.

"Understanding why a heart attack happened is just as important as treating it," says Dr. Raphael. "It can mean the difference between recovery and recurrence."

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About Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization committed to innovation in clinical practice, education and research, and providing compassion, expertise and answers to everyone who needs healing. Visit the Mayo Clinic News Network for additional Mayo Clinic news.

Media contact:

• Terri Malloy, Mayo Clinic Communications, newsbureau@mayo.edu

The post Mayo Clinic study reveals hidden causes of heart attacks in younger adults, especially women appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I've read that following the Mediterranean diet is good for your heart, but I'm not quite sure why. If I decide to give it a try, how would I get started? 

ANSWER: Extensive research over the years continues to pinpoint the Mediterranean diet as one of the best for your heart. Why? It helps reduce chronic inflammation in the body.

Not all inflammation is bad, but once it becomes chronic, it can lead to heart disease, type 2 diabetes, dementia and cancer. One of the main risk factors for chronic inflammation is a high-fat, high-sugar diet. 

The Mediterranean diet is the opposite of that. And the best part is that eating healthy with the Mediterranean diet feels more like eating and living well. Basically, it's a model eating plan for good health.

What the Mediterranean diet does

Built around plant-based foods, the Mediterranean diet:

• Replaces harmful fats with healthy, monounsaturated fats, which have been found to lower total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein, also known as LDL, or "bad" cholesterol levels.
• Includes food rich in antioxidants and phytochemicals that help reduce inflammation in the arteries.  
• Supports healthy blood pressure by stressing potassium-rich foods and decreasing salt intake.
• Promotes whole grains, legumes, fruits and vegetables, which are high in fiber, support gut health and reduce blood sugar fluctuations. 
• Encourages healthy weight because it focuses on nutrient-dense, satisfying foods that naturally curb overeating.

Change up what you eat

If you're interested in trying the Mediterranean diet, these tips will help you get started:

Aim for 2 to 3 servings of fruit and 4 or more servings of vegetables daily.  

Expand your fruit and veggie horizon with pomegranates, figs, grapes, peaches, nectarines, cantaloupe, spinach, kale, Swiss chard, and collard and mustard greens. Wander through a farmers market for local choices. Swap in fruits and veggies when you're craving a snack.

Opt for whole grains.

Switch to 100% whole-grain bread, cereal and pasta. Experiment with whole grains, such as bulgur and farro.

Add in nuts and seeds.

These foods are high in fiber, protein and healthy fats. Try to eat 4 servings of raw or unsalted nuts and seeds per week. One serving is ¼ cup.

Use healthy fats.

Try olive, avocado or grapeseed oil instead of butter when cooking. Rather than putting butter or margarine on bread, try dipping it in flavored olive oil. 

Eat fish twice a week.

Fresh or water-packed tuna, salmon, trout, mackerel, sardines, and herring, along with seafood such as shrimp, crab and mussels, are high in healthy omega-3 fats. Opt to grill, steam, or bake fish and seafood rather than frying it.

Reduce red meat.

Substitute fish, poultry, eggs, or beans and lentils for red meat. If you eat red meat, make sure it's lean, keep portions small — usually about 3 ounces of cooked meat — and eat it sparingly.

Don't forget dairy.

Eat low-fat Greek or plain yogurt, cottage cheese, milk, and a variety of soft cheeses. Try cheeses made from goat or sheep milk, such as chèvre and feta. Stir fresh or frozen fruit into yogurt to avoid added sugars. 

Spice it up.

Herbs and spices boost flavor and lessen the need for salt.

Drink wine, alcohol sparingly.

While red wine is often a choice in the Mediterranean diet, it's optional. If you do drink wine or alcohol, limit your intake to one glass or less each day. Light to moderate alcohol consumption may reduce heart disease risk, but it's generally not advised to start drinking alcohol or increase your consumption. Remember to include water, since it's the best fluid for your body.

Modify your lifestyle

While much of the Mediterranean diet revolves around healthy eating, a large part includes slowing down and savoring life — something most of us can benefit from for our well-being and mental health. 

The basics of Mediterranean-style eating include:

• Sitting down at a table for at least two lunches or dinners per week.
• Taking time over the meal, not eating and running.
• Eating with friends and family.
• Engaging in physical activity with a goal of at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise per week.

Plenty of eating plans are out there, but the Mediterranean diet is a holistic approach that encompasses healthy, delicious food and lifestyle choices that promote well-being. Many people who switch to this style of eating say they'll never eat any other way again.

For more information, talk to your healthcare professional or a registered dietitian nutritionist.

Janet McCann, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, Mayo Clinic Health System, Eau Claire, Wisconsin

The post Mayo Clinic Q&A: What makes the Mediterranean diet so healthy for your heart?    appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

World Heart Day is September 29

ROCHESTER, Minn. — You may have heard of the mind-body connection: the broad concept that  thoughts and feelings, especially those related to stress, can influence physical health. Mohamad Alkhouli, M.D., an interventional cardiologist at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, is researching the relationship between the brain and the heart. Each can have a powerful impact on the other, Dr. Alkhouli explains.

"The mind-heart connection is part of the broader mind-body relationship, but it’s uniquely powerful. Emotional states like anxiety, grief, or even joy can directly influence heart rhythms, blood pressure, and even the risk of heart attacks," Dr. Alkhouli says. "At the same time, the heart sends signals back to the brain through nerves, hormones, and pressure receptors — affecting our mood, attention, and stress levels. So, it’s not just the brain talking to the heart; the heart talks back."

Conditions with a brain-heart connection include spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) and stress-induced cardiopathy (SICM), also known as broken heart syndrome. Both conditions can result from stress. Dr. Alkhouli has been part of Mayo Clinic research teams exploring aspects of each.

Broken heart syndrome often is sparked by stressful situations and extreme emotions; it briefly interrupts the way the heart pumps blood. People experiencing it may have sudden chest pain and think they're having a heart attack.

The tools typically used to screen for heart attacks cannot identify when broken heart syndrome is actually the cause of a patient's chest pain. In most cases, invasive coronary angiography is required to differentiate SICM from myocardial infarction due to coronary obstruction. Mayo research found that a novel technology called magnetocardiography, which measures magnetic fields generated by the heart, can help identify broken heart syndrome. 

Another Mayo study suggests that SCAD, a type of heart attack that often results from physical or emotional stress, can be a secondary event instigated by broken heart syndrome.

In broken heart syndrome, the heart's temporary weakening doesn't happen evenly: Some parts of the heart fail to contract well, while others work harder to compensate, Dr. Alkhouli says. This uneven motion creates twisting forces on the heart muscle. 

"Because the coronary arteries, the main blood vessels that supply blood to the heart, sit on top of the heart, they can be stretched or stressed at the junctions between these overactive and underactive areas during broken heart syndrome," he explains. "In some cases, this stress may cause a tear in the artery wall, what we call SCAD."

A question still to be answered is why some people develop broken heart syndrome after emotional trauma while others do not, Dr. Alkhouli notes.

Emotional stress also can increase the risk of other heart conditions, such as:

• High blood pressure, also known as hypertension.
• Heart disease.
• Atrial tachycardia.
• Bradycardia.

"What fascinates me most is how deeply intertwined our emotional and cardiovascular systems are, and how much we still don't understand," Dr. Alkhouli says. "Could we one day 'rewire' this connection for healing, using therapy, neuromodulation (alteration of nerve activity at targeted sites in the body by electrical or chemical means), or even digital tools? At Mayo Clinic, we're exploring these questions, and we're beginning to see the heart and brain not as separate organs, but as a single, dynamic network."

That network works in both directions. Dr. Alkhouli is part of Mayo's Heart Brain Clinic, where cardiologists and neurologists work together to evaluate patients who may have neurological symptoms that can be attributed to a cardiac event.

In these patients, the heart and brain are closely linked, such as strokes caused by clots that form in the heart, known as cardioembolic strokes. The causes of a transient ischemic attack, a short period of stroke-like symptoms, may include a blood clot that moves from another part of the body, such as the heart, to an artery that supplies the brain. The heart condition atherosclerosis, the buildup of fats, cholesterol and other substances in and on the artery walls, can also lead to a transient ischemic attack.  

More research is needed to better understand how to harness the mind-heart connection for disease prevention and healing. There are steps you can take now for your mental health that will benefit your heart, and things you can do for your heart health that will benefit your brain, Dr. Alkhouli says.

"The good news is that what's good for your mind is often good for your heart, and vice versa," he explains. That includes:

• Managing stress.
• Getting quality sleep.
• Staying socially connected.
• Practicing mindfulness or prayer.

"All have measurable benefits for heart health," Dr. Alkhouli says. "Likewise, regular physical activity, a heart-healthy diet and controlling blood pressure and cholesterol can boost mood and cognitive function. It's a powerful feedback loop: Caring for one supports the other."

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About Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization committed to innovation in clinical practice, education and research, and providing compassion, expertise and answers to everyone who needs healing. Visit the Mayo Clinic News Network for additional Mayo Clinic news.

Media contact:

• Sharon Theimer, Mayo Clinic Communications, newsbureau@mayo.edu

The post The brain-heart connection: Mayo Clinic expert explains powerful tie that works both ways appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

(Video animation shows blood stem cells dividing and multiplying. Getty Images).

Deep inside the body, a slow-growing cluster of mutated blood cells can form. This cluster, found in 1 in 5 older adults, can raise the risk of leukemia and heart disease, often without warning. 

To better understand this hidden risk, Mayo Clinic researchers have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) tool to help investigators uncover how it contributes to disease risk and progression.

In a study published in Genomics, Proteomics & Bioinformatics, the tool showed promising results in identifying early signs of this condition, known as clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential, or CHIP.

When blood cells mutate

CHIP starts in the bone marrow, where blood stem cells make the cells that keep organs working, oxygen flowing and the immune system strong. But if one of those cells acquires a mutation in a gene linked to blood cancer, it can multiply abnormally, forming a cluster of mutated cells that gradually expands. 

This can cause CHIP, a condition with no symptoms that researchers link to higher rates of death, especially from heart disease. Because its effects vary, CHIP is hard to track and often goes undetected for years. 

CHIP makes leukemia more than 10 times more likely and raises the risk of heart disease up to four times, even in healthy adults. Finding it earlier could help guide proactive monitoring or preventive care.

A new tool for early detection 

The new tool, called UNISOM — short for UNIfied SOmatic calling and Machine learning — was developed by Shulan Tian, Ph.D., under the leadership of Eric Klee, Ph.D., co-senior author of the study and the Everett J. and Jane M. Hauck Midwest Associate Director of Research and Innovation.  

UNISOM helps clinicians identify CHIP-related mutations in standard genetic datasets, opening new avenues for research and discovery. In the past, that level of detection required more complex and advanced sequencing methods. 

"Detecting disease at its earliest molecular roots is one of the most meaningful advances we can make in medicine," says Dr. Klee. "UNISOM is just one of many examples of how we're translating genomic science into innovative tools that support timely and informed care." 

UNISOM helped researchers detect nearly 80% of CHIP mutations using whole-exome sequencing, which analyzes the protein-coding regions of DNA.  

The team also tested UNISOM on whole-genome sequencing data from the Mayo Clinic Biobank, which captures nearly all of a person's genetic code. In that data, it detected early signs of CHIP, including mutations present in fewer than 5% of blood cells. Standard techniques often miss these small but important changes.

"We're engineering a path from genomic discovery to clinical decision-making," says Dr. Tian, the co-senior author and a bioinformatician at Mayo Clinic. "It's rewarding to help bring these discoveries closer to clinical care, where they can inform decisions and support more precise treatment." 

Next, the team plans to apply UNISOM to larger and more diverse datasets to support research and expand its use in clinical practice. 

Review the study for a complete list of authors, disclosures and funding.   

The post Mayo Clinic AI tool finds early signs of blood mutations linked to cancer and heart disease appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.