Cardiologist Nicole Harkin Flags 5 Heart-Risk Habits as Heart Disease Stays a Leading Killer
Updated
Updated · The Indian Express · Aug 17
Cardiologist Nicole Harkin Flags 5 Heart-Risk Habits as Heart Disease Stays a Leading Killer
1 articles · Updated · The Indian Express · Aug 17
Summary
Five habits topped Harkin’s list: smoking or vaping, eating processed meats, ignoring chest pain, overlooking family history and skimping on good-quality sleep.
Smoking and vaping drew her strongest warning, with Harkin saying almost all heart attacks she has seen in young women were in smokers or vape users.
Chest pain and family history can be missed even in people deemed low risk by standard screening, she said, urging faster evaluation and regular doctor check-ins.
Processed meats can raise cardiovascular risk, while poor sleep is increasingly tied to hypertension, obesity, diabetes and abnormal heart rhythms, cardiologist CM Nagesh said.
The advice underscores that heart disease often develops through everyday behaviors and that subtle symptoms—especially in women and people with diabetes—should not be dismissed.