The Skeptical Cardiologist

The Skeptical Cardiologist offers unbiased, evidence-based insights into cardiovascular health, focusing on diet, lifestyle, medical treatments, and devices. It explores aging, benefits of traditional and novel health interventions, and challenges mainstream dietary and treatment guidelines, emphasizing personalized approaches to cardiovascular care.

Cardiovascular Health Dietary Impact on Health Exercise and Aging Medical Devices and Procedures Blood Pressure Management Cholesterol and Lipid Management Drug Efficacy and Safety Health Guidelines and Policies

The hottest Substack posts of The Skeptical Cardiologist

And their main takeaways

Beware The Leaky Watchman

412 implied HN points • 02 Feb 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Cardiology Medical Devices
  1. The Watchman device for preventing stroke in atrial fibrillation might not be as effective as promised.
  2. Studies show a significant incidence of residual leaks after percutaneous left atrial appendage occlusion.
  3. Patients should be aware of the downsides and lack of proven benefits before opting for LAAO over other stroke prevention methods.

In Defense of Real Cheese

687 implied HN points • 16 Jul 23
🍲 Food & Drink Nutrition Diet Health Cheese
  1. Real cheese, despite being high in saturated fat, is associated with lower cardiovascular risk.
  2. Recent studies show that cheese consumption has neutral to beneficial effects on health outcomes.
  3. Governmental dietary guidelines may not always align with scientific evidence and can impact food choices.

What's Your Favorite Planet?

511 implied HN points • 16 Jul 23
🎶 Music Concert Artist Performance Song
  1. Neil Young's Coastal Tour includes obscure songs and unique performance style
  2. Neil Young's concert had a special encore featuring 'Love Earth'
  3. Neil Young showcased his musical versatility by playing different instruments

Measuring and Reversing Biological Age

550 implied HN points • 17 Mar 23
🏥 Health & Wellness
  1. Measuring biological age is a popular trend as people seek ways to stay young.
  2. Some methods claim to reverse biological age, but efficacy is questionable and may require significant financial investment.
  3. Traditional methods like exercise and healthy habits are recommended by experts to combat aging effectively.
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The Aktiia Bracelet is Almost Here

491 implied HN points • 06 Apr 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Health tech Cardiology Medical Devices
  1. The Aktiia Bracelet offers a cuffless way for 24/7 blood pressure monitoring with accuracy validated through studies.
  2. Validation studies have shown that the Aktiia Bracelet performs well and satisfies established criteria for accuracy.
  3. Continuous and unobtrusive monitoring provided by the Aktiia Bracelet can give a more accurate representation of blood pressure throughout the day and night, potentially improving cardiovascular outcomes.

Coffee and the Heart: Startling New Findings?

412 implied HN points • 26 Mar 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Coffee Heart Health Scientific research Health Benefits
  1. The CRAVE study found that coffee consumption was associated with more daily steps and fewer minutes of sleep among participants.
  2. The CRAVE study had limitations including select group of participants and lack of real-world coffee consumption scenario.
  3. Scientific evidence consistently supports that moderate coffee consumption is linked to living longer and having a reduced risk of heart attacks and strokes.

The COVID-19 Poll Results: Opinions and Comments

314 implied HN points • 24 Mar 23
🏥 Health & Wellness COVID-19 Masks
  1. 74% of readers think masks work, especially high-quality ones like N95 or KN95 masks.
  2. Ivermectin is not effective at reducing the severity of COVID-19, as shown by high-quality studies.
  3. It's challenging to conduct trials on masks' efficacy, but easier for drugs like ivermectin; complete data can be limited in making public health recommendations.

Bempedoic Acid

216 implied HN points • 08 Mar 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Medication Side Effects Heart Health
  1. Bempedoic acid is a new option for lowering lipids in those who can't tolerate statins.
  2. It targets cholesterol synthesis in the liver by inhibiting ATP-citrate lyase.
  3. Patients intolerant to statins might experience side effects with bempedoic acid, but it could still be an option to try.