Registered dietitians recommend stocking your pantry with heart-healthy staples like olive oil, oats, canned salmon, dried herbs and spices, nuts, and pulses. These items provide nutrients that support cardiovascular health by reducing inflammation, lowering cholesterol and improving blood pressure. RDs Roxana Ehsani, Veronica Rouse and Melissa Mitri highlight the benefits of these foods, while also emphasizing the importance of regular exercise, stress management and social connections for overall heart health.

Registered dietitian Grace Derocha, a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, suggests using tofu as an alternative to protein powder in smoothies. Tofu, a plant-based and non-dairy protein source, offers a creamy texture and is nearly tasteless, making it a versatile ingredient for shakes. It provides 8 to 10 grams of protein per half-cup serving, with firmer varieties offering more.

People often struggle with weight loss despite efforts to improve diet and exercise, possibly due to unrecognized liquid calories. Registered dietitians Elisabetta Politi and Amy Bragagnini, a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, emphasize the importance of identifying high-calorie drinks such as fruity beverages, coffee drinks, alcohol, sodas, smoothies and protein drinks that can hinder progress. They recommend setting realistic goals and considering alternatives like flavored water to reduce calorie intake. Special attention is advised for patients with diabetes due to the rapid absorption of sugars from these drinks.

A study presented at a meeting of the European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology linked a treat-to-target approach for gout with a slight but significant reduction in major cardiovascular events, compared with a fire-and-forget approach. The research, involving data from more than 116,000 patients, associated achieving a target serum urate level of less than 6 mg/dL with one year of starting urate-lowering therapy with a 6% to 12% lower risk of such events over five years.

A study by Johns Hopkins University showed that a lower-sodium Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension-style diet could significantly reduce blood pressure in patients with Type 2 diabetes. Participants following the DASH for Diabetes diet saw a 4.6 mm Hg reduction in systolic blood pressure and a 2.3 mm Hg reduction in diastolic blood pressure, which lowers the risk of heart failure, stroke and cardiovascular events.

A study in the journal Diabetic Medicine found that children who had COVID-19 were more than twice as likely to develop Type 1 diabetes within six months compared with those who were not infected. The study, which reviewed records of more than 1 million hospitalized children in England, found that 475 developed Type 1 diabetes after having COVID-19, at a rate of 90.5 per 100,000 person-years.

Half of global cancer deaths are attributable to modifiable risk factors such as smoking, unhealthful diets and physical inactivity, according to the American Cancer Society's Cancer Atlas. The report shows disparities between high- and low-income countries, noting that 90% of people in low- and middle-income countries lack access to safe and timely surgical care.

A new SARS-CoV-2 variant, NB.1.8.1, is spreading globally but poses a low risk to the public, according to a report from the World Health Organization. The variant shows a higher relative growth advantage but no evidence of increased severity or mortality. The symptoms are similar to past variants, and the current vaccine is recommended, though its effectiveness against NB.1.8.1 is unknown.