Doctors fail to cut cholesterol enough (Reuters)
Reuters - Only half of patients at high risk of heart disease are given the right targets for cutting their cholesterol and millions may suffer heart attack or stroke due to doctors' poor advice, scientists said on Thursday.

Study suggests too many invasive heart tests given (AP)
AP - A troublingly high number of U.S. patients who are given angiograms to check for heart disease turn out not to have a significant problem, according to the latest study to suggest Americans get an excess of medical tests.

Increasing Soda Consumption Fuels Rise in Diabetes, Heart Disease (HealthDay)
HealthDay - FRIDAY, March 5 (HealthDay News) --Increasing consumption of sugary soft drinks contributed to 130,000 new cases of diabetes, 14,000 new cases of heart disease and 50,000 more life-years burdened with heart disease in the last decade, a new U.S. study finds.

Processed Meat May Harm the Heart (HealthDay)
HealthDay - FRIDAY, March 5 (HealthDay News) -- Conventional wisdom has dictated that fat from red meat is a risk factor for heart disease, but a new analysis from Harvard researchers finds it's eating processed meat -- not unprocessed red meat -- that increases the risk for heart disease and even diabetes.

Blacks, Hispanics With Heart Failure Less Likely to Use Hospice (HealthDay)
HealthDay - MONDAY, March 8 (HealthDay News) -- Blacks and Hispanics with advanced heart failure are much less likely to turn to hospice care than whites, even though blacks in particular are more likely to develop the condition, a new report finds.

Air Travel Could Raise Risk for Heartbeat Irregularities (HealthDay)
HealthDay - THURSDAY, March 4 (HealthDay News) -- Air travel could raise the risk for experiencing heartbeat irregularities among older individuals with a history of heart disease, a new study suggests.

Australian ruling opens floodgates for Vioxx claims (AFP)
AFP - An Australian judge on Friday found arthritis drug Vioxx doubled the risk of heart attacks and was not fit for sale, opening the way for hundreds of lawsuits against US pharmaceutical giant Merck.

Newer Blood Test Predicts Diabetes, Heart Disease (HealthDay)
HealthDay - WEDNESDAY, March 3 (HealthDay News) -- The newer hemoglobin A1C test predicts diabetes as well as the traditional fasting blood sugar test, but it beats that old standard in predicting a patient's future risk of heart disease and stroke, new research shows.

Industry crackdown on salt could save U.S. billions (Reuters)
Reuters - Working with the food industry to cut salt intake by nearly 10 percent could prevent hundreds of thousands of heart attacks and strokes over several decades and save the U.S. government $32 billion in healthcare costs, U.S. researchers said on Monday.

Future Heart Disease May Be in Store for Obese Kids (HealthDay)
HealthDay - MONDAY, March 1 (HealthDay News) -- Obese children as young as 3 could harbor a warning sign that they're at risk of heart disease in the future, new research suggests.