Heart Health

Common Questions & Answers
Foods that are high in saturated fats and sodium increase the risk of heart issues like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and cardiovascular disease. In contrast, foods that support heart health include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins.
A combination of aerobic activity — brisk walking, running, swimming, cycling — and resistance training provides the greatest benefits for heart health.
Young adults with no risk factors for heart disease should get their blood pressure checked every two to five years. Adults 40 and older or those with an increased risk of high blood pressure should get it checked on a yearly basis.
Yes, chronic stress increases the risk of high blood pressure, which can contribute to the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke.

Chung Yoon, MD
Medical Reviewer

Anurag Sahu, MD
Medical Reviewer
Anurag Sahu, MD, is the director of the adult congenital heart program at Inova Health System in Fairfax, Virginia. Previously, he was an associate professor of medicine as well as an associate professor of radiology at Emory University in Atlanta, where he also served as director of cardiac intensive care.
He attended medical school at the University of Missouri in Kansas City in its combined six-year BA/MD program. He then completed his internal medicine residency at Washington Hospital Center in Washington, DC; fellowship training at Rush University in Chicago; and advanced training in cardiac imaging and adult congenital heart disease at The Ohio State University in Columbus.
Dr. Sahu has published book chapters on cardiovascular imaging as well as a variety of journal articles in publications including The Journal of Heart and Lung Transplant, JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions, and the Journal of Thoracic Imaging.
Among the places that his career has taken him, his favorite was Kauai, Hawaii, where he was the only cardiologist on the island.

Stephanie Young Moss, PharmD
Medical Reviewer
Stephanie Young Moss, PharmD, has worked in pharmacy, community outreach, regulatory compliance, managed care, and health economics and outcomes research. Dr. Young Moss is the owner of Integrative Pharmacy Outcomes and Consulting, which focuses on educating underserved communities on ways to reduce and prevent health disparities. She uses her platform to educate families on ways to decrease and eliminate health disparities by incorporating wellness and mental health techniques.
Young Moss is the creator of the websites DrStephanieYoMo.com and MenopauseInColor.com, providing practical health and wellness tips and resources for women experiencing perimenopause and menopause. She has over 100,000 people in her social media communities. She has also contributed to Pharmacy Times and shared her views on international and national podcasts and local television news.
She has served on various boards for organizations that focus on health equity, decreasing implicit bias, addressing social determinants of health, and empowering communities to advocate for their health. She has also been on the boards for the Minority Health Coalition of Marion County and Eskenazi Health Center, for which she was the clinical quality committee chair and board secretary and is currently the board treasurer. She is a board member for Community Action of Greater Indianapolis.

Michael Cutler, DO, PhD
Medical Reviewer
Michael Cutler, DO, PhD, is a cardiac electrophysiologist at Intermountain Heart Rhythm Specialists in Salt Lake City, Utah. His research interests include understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms of cardiac arrhythmia, gene therapy for cardiac arrhythmias, neural control of the circulation in sleep apnea, role of exercise in health and disease, and improving the management of cardiac arrhythmias (i.e., atrial fibrillation).
He completed his BS and MS in exercise physiology and was a member of the track/cross country team at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. Prior to attending medical school, Dr. Cutler was an adjunct clinical instructor in the College of Health at the University of Utah and also served on the Utah Governor’s Council on Health and Physical Fitness. He then attended the University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth for medical school and for his PhD in cardiovascular physiology.
After medical school, Cutler entered the highly selective ABIM Research Pathway physician-scientist training program at the MetroHealth Campus of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. During this time, he completed his clinical training in internal medicine, cardiology and clinical cardiac electrophysiology, served as chief cardiology fellow, and received the Kenneth M. Rosen Fellowship in cardiac pacing and electrophysiology from the Heart Rhythm Society. Following residency and fellowship, Cutler accepted a position as an assistant professor of medicine at the MetroHealth Campus of Case Western Reserve University until he joined his current partners at Intermountain Heart Rhythm Specialists.
Cutler's research has received meritorious recognition from the American Physiological Society, the American Heart Association, and the Heart Rhythm Society.
Cutler has been an author on publications in journals such as Circulation, Circulation Research, Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, and Nature. He is board certified in internal medicine, cardiovascular disease, and clinical cardiac electrophysiology through the American Board of Internal Medicine.

Grant Chu, MD
Medical Reviewer
Grant Chu, MD, is an assistant clinical professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. Dr. Chu is also the associate director of education at the UCLA Center for East-West Medicine, using technology to further medical education.
He is board-certified in internal medicine by the American Board of Internal Medicine and is a diplomate of the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine.
He received a bachelor's degree in neuroscience from Brown University, where he also earned his medical degree. He has a master's in acupuncture and oriental medicine from South Baylo University and a master's in business administration from the University of Illinois. He completed his residency in internal medicine at the University of California in Los Angeles and a fellowship at the Center for East-West Medicine at UCLA.
He has held academic appointments at the University of California in Irvine and the University of Queensland in Australia.
Farrokh Sohrabi, MD
Medical Reviewer
Farrokh Sohrabi, MD, is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland School of Medicine. He completed a residency in internal medicine at the University of Viriginia Hospital, and is board-certified in internal medicine. Dr. Sohrabi has been involved in both basic science and clinical research, and has a broad background in medical writing and editing. He has authored publications in academic medical journals, medical websites, and peer-reviewed scientific publications. Sohrabi sees patients in the Washington, D.C. area.
- What Is Heart-Healthy Living? National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. April 23, 2024.
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