Heart disease is often linked to high cholesterol, obesity, or lack of exercise. However, there is mounting evidence that suggests that mental health plays a crucial role in cardiovascular well-being. Stress, anxiety, and depression can silently strain the heart, increasing the risk of serious complications.

A recent study, published in Nature Human Behaviour, showed that loneliness has a significant impact on proteins present in a person's blood. For the study, researchers used data from more than 42,000 participants to explore whether the 9.3% who reported social isolation and 6.4% who reported loneliness had different levels of proteins in their blood compared with those who did not. The researchers then studied data that tracked the health of participants over an average 14-year period.

"We found around 90% of these proteins are linked to the risk of mortality," Dr Chun Shen, Fudan University in China, who is also the lead researcher said. "In addition, about 50% of the proteins were linked to cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and stroke," he added.

Dr Shrey Kumar Srivastav, senior consultant at Sharda Hospital, said that subtle symptoms of heart disease, such as fatigue, shortness of breath, swelling in the lower legs, dizziness, and jaw pain, are often overlooked or attributed to stress and ageing. "Women, in particular, may experience atypical signs like extreme fatigue, indigestion, or upper abdominal pain instead of classic chest pain, leading to delayed diagnosis," he added.

Can Mental Health Issues Trigger Heart Diseases?

Chronic stress can trigger harmful cardiovascular effects, including elevated blood pressure, increased heart rate, and inflammation—key contributors to heart disease. Anxiety and depression further impact heart health by disrupting sleep patterns, raising stress hormone levels, and encouraging unhealthy habits like poor diet and inactivity.

Mental health issues like depression and anxiety have a profound impact on the heart. They don’t just affect emotions but can increase inflammation and put extra strain on the cardiovascular system, warns Dr Srivastav.

Certain risk factors, such as obesity and diabetes, disproportionately affect women, making them more vulnerable to heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). However, due to gender-specific symptom variations, heart disease in women often goes undiagnosed for longer.

Obesity is more prevalent in women than men and is a major risk factor for heart failure. Diabetes, too, has a greater impact on women’s heart health, yet diagnosis and treatment delays are common. Addressing this gap requires increasing awareness, training healthcare providers, and promoting early diagnostic tools,” explains Dr Srivastav.

How Can You Protect Your Heart?

A simple yet effective way to support heart health is by committing to a brisk 30-minute walk daily. Walking not only helps regulate blood pressure and manage weight but also improves circulation and reduces stress.

"Regular physical activity, paired with a heart-healthy diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins, significantly lowers cardiovascular risks," advises Dr Srivastav.

Heart disease can often go undetected until a major event occurs, making routine screenings essential.

- For women: Begin screenings around age 30 and continue with regular checkups.

- For men: Start screenings at age 35.

Health screenings, including blood pressure checks, cholesterol tests, and electrocardiograms (ECGs), are critical for early detection of silent heart conditions.

American host Oprah Winfrey, who told her fans she was taking GLP-1 weight loss medication in 2023, has revealed that she stopped taking injections for a short period of time last year and ended up gaining significant weight.

During an episode of the TODAY show with Jenna & Sheinelle, Winfrey, 71, said: "I was off the (weight loss medications) all last year and I gained 20lbs because I wanted to test it.

"Because everyone was saying 'you're going to gain the weight' (and) I'm going to show them that I'm not going to gain the weight. I'm going to hike."

However, the media mogul ended up gaining most of her weight back, citing that once she was off the medications, she would stand in front of the refrigerator thinking "what can I eat".

Is This Scientifically True?

Researchers have found that those who lose weight using blockbuster GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic could regain about 0.4kg every month after quitting these treatments. In contrast, those who lost weight through exercise, diet and other factors only gained 0.1kg.

Ozempic (semaglutide) is a prescription injectable GLP-1 medication primarily approved for adults with Type 2 diabetes to manage blood sugar levels. However, the drug has gained immense popularity among those trying to lose weight as it can reduce hunger and help people feel full for longer, which forces the body to burn fat deposits to stay functional.

In clinical trials, people with obesity using semaglutide have shown to lose an average of about 15% of their body weight over 68 weeks. Most people begin to see noticeable results within 8 to 12 weeks of taking the drug.

The official price in India for a once-weekly Ozempic injection pen ranges from approximately ₹8,800 for the 0.25 mg dose to around ₹11,175 for the 1 mg dose per month. Insurance coverage is generally inconsistent for weight loss indications.

Have Weight Loss Impacted Winfrey's Diet?

In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, the OWN founder noted that in the last two years, her relationship with food and exercise has changed drastically, in addition to erasing her taste for alcohol.

'The fact that I no longer even have a desire for it is pretty amazing,' Winfrey said.

The talk show legend once admitted she was able to :outdrink everyone at the table" and "was a big fan of tequila". "I literally had 17 shots one night," she said, "I haven't had a drink in years. The fact that I no longer even have a desire for it is pretty amazing."

Additionally, Winfrey said she no longer obsesses over food and has embraced exercise for the first time in her life. However, once she understood that she began to gain weight when she stopped taking injections, Winfrey realized that the medication will likely be "a lifetime thing".

"It's going to be a lifetime thing. I'm on high blood pressure medication, and if I go off the high blood pressure medication, my blood pressure is going to go up. The same thing is true now, I realize, with these medications. I’ve proven to myself I need it," she told the publication.

Winfrey now typically takes the shots weekly, but sometimes stretches them to 10 or 12 days. "You need to start slow and gradual,' she advised. 'If you start by taking too much at one time, you have more of a chance of messing yourself up

Apart form this, the media star also now works out for about two hours a day, six days a week, hiking, doing cardio or strength training.

A new British study has discovered that social media use or video gaming is not causing mental health problems in young teenagers.

For decades, experts across industries have warned that time spent on social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram or gaming platforms could be driving a rise in anxiety and depression among teenagers.

However, researchers from the University of Manchester claim to have found little to no evidence over links of such claims.

Lead author Dr Qiqi Cheng said: "We know families are worried, but our results do not support the idea that simply spending time on social media or gaming leads to mental health problems, the story is far more complex than that."

Who Did The Scientists Analyze?

The researchers tracked pupils’ self-reported social media habits, gaming frequency and emotional difficulties over three school years to find out whether technology use genuinely predicted later mental health difficulties.

What Did They Find?

The researchers found no proof that heavy social media use or more frequent gaming caused increases in symptoms of anxiety or depression over the following year - for both boys or girls.

Girls who gamed more often went on to spend slightly less time on social media the following yea and boys who reported more emotional difficulties were more likely to cut back on gaming in the future. This suggested links between losing interest in hobbies when feeling low or parents limiting screen time when they notice their child is struggling.

The research team also explored whether actively chatting on social media or just passively scrolling made a difference but results stayed the same

The authors emphasize that this does not mean online experiences are harmless. Hurtful messages, online pressures and extreme content can still impact wellbeing but they argue that focusing simply blaming screen time is not enough and more attention needs to be paid.

Why are Teenagers More Prone To Mental Health Issues?

Constant comparison on social media, cyberbullying and pressure to fit in online or offline significantly impact self-esteem and increase anxiety. Apart from this, exposure to violence, neglect, abuse or poverty during these formative years is a major risk factor for developing mental illnesses like PTSD, depression and anxiety.

Additionally, some adolescents are also genetically more susceptible to mental health conditions, which can be triggered by environmental stressors.

Flu has now reached California, officials at the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) confirmed on Tuesday. The mutated influenza strain, which is dubbed as the 'super flu' is now spreading in California.

The CDPH confirmed a second pediatric death related to flu since the season of this respiratory virus had started. The 'super flu' strain is the mutation of seasonal influenza A H3N2 virus, called the subclade K. While the cases are on the rise, with some record breaking ER visits and hospitalizations, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) noted that the season has not peaked yet, and that there might be more cases in the coming week.

What Are The Symptoms Of Super Flu?

Dr Monica Gandhi, who is an infectious disease expert at UC San Francisco told SFGATE that people infected with the mutated strain will likely get common flu symptoms, such as body aches, fever, cough and headache. "I think this particular strain makes people feel pretty horrible," Gandhi said, and further added, "And the reason that subclade K is important is it may not be covered by the current flu vaccine."

However, experts are still asking people to get vaccinated. In fact, the CDC has also noted that vaccination "has been shown to reduce the risk of flu and its potentially serious complications". However, only 130 million doses of vaccine have been distributed, which covers less than 40% of the US population. "The vaccine remains the most effective means to prevent disease. We still want to encourage people to get the vaccine," said Professor Antonia Ho, Professor and Honorary Consultant in Infectious Diseases at the University of Glasgow. Experts have stressed enough on the immunity that one can receive from the vaccine that that these flu jab remain the best defense against the flu, even though the current strain circulated may have drifted away from the strain included in this year's jab.

Data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) also show that vaccines is performing as expect, despite the emergence of subclade K.

K variant causes more intense flu symptoms, they include:

• Fever
• Chills
• Headache
• Fatigue
• Cough
• Sore throat
• Runny nose

This year's flu came after the flu vaccination was made, which means the current vaccination does not align with the mutation, however, experts have pointed out that it still continues to offer protection against the illness.

Update On Flu Activity

Flu activity in the state has shown a downtick from the season high at the end of the December. 15% of flu tests have come back positive by January 3, which is down from 17% rate seen during the week ending with December 27. However, the CDC noted that this downtick does not mean the end of flu season, it could rather mean that less cases were reported due to the holiday season. As the agency has warned more such cases to show up in the coming week.

In fact, hospitalization have been on the rise and hit a season high with 3.8 admissions per 100,000 in the state as of January 3.