Each year, millions brace for the flu season, armed with cough drops, hand sanitizers, and the age-old debate- should I get the flu shot? While many associate influenza with little more than a fever and fatigue, mounting research suggests the consequences could be far more severe. A new study has added a significant warning to the mix: contracting the flu could increase your risk of a heart attack by six times in the week following infection.

A heart attack, or myocardial infarction, occurs when blood flow to the heart muscle is abruptly cut off, often due to a blood clot. While risk factors like smoking, high cholesterol, and obesity are well-known contributors, seasonal influenza now emerges as a stealthy but significant trigger, particularly in those already vulnerable.

This link isn't new. For years, scientists have warned that viral infections can increase cardiovascular risk. However, this latest data provides one of the clearest pictures yet. Researchers evaluated 401 patients who had a heart attack within a year before or after a confirmed flu diagnosis. Alarmingly, 25 heart attacks occurred in the first seven days following influenza infection.

How Influenza Triggers Heart Conditions?

Influenza does more than inflame the lungs — it can inflame the arteries, too. When the virus attacks, the immune system responds with inflammation. In people with existing plaque buildup in their arteries, this inflammation can weaken plaque stability, making it more likely to rupture. Once ruptured, the body reacts with clot formation, blocking blood flow and causing a heart attack.

In some cases, the flu virus may also increase blood coagulation, further raising the risk of clot formation. “When people get influenza or the flu, it taxes your body and puts a lot of stress on all of the other systems,” explains Dr. Susan Rehm, an infectious disease specialist at the Cleveland Clinic.

The study, led by Dr. Annemarijn de Boer and conducted using data from 16 diagnostic labs across The Netherlands, confirms what many health professionals have long suspected. It found that patients who suffered a heart attack after getting the flu were at significantly higher risk of mortality with 35% dying within a year of their flu diagnosis.

“While it isn’t clear from our results if those with less severe flu are also at risk, it is prudent for them to be aware of the link,” Dr. de Boer notes. The findings will be presented at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases.

How Can A Flu Shot Protect Against Potent Cardiac Condition?

Perhaps the most actionable takeaway from this research is simple- get your flu shot. For years, influenza vaccination has been recommended primarily for its ability to reduce flu-related complications, especially among vulnerable populations like the elderly, children, and those with chronic conditions.

Now, cardiologists and infectious disease experts are urging people especially those with cardiovascular conditions to think of the flu vaccine as an indirect heart attack prevention tool.

A study conducted by the Glasgow Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences found that heart attack patients who received the flu vaccine within 72 hours of their first event had a 50% lower risk of death from a subsequent heart attack. “Flu puts stress on your arteries and makes your blood thicker, so if you have heart disease, it could tip you over the threshold,” said Professor Naveed Sattar of the Institute.

The data is clear: flu shots save more than just lungs — they may save hearts. Consultant cardiologist Professor Martin Cowie of the Royal Brompton Hospital supports this proactive approach. “This is interesting and could be relatively easy to implement in general practice,” he notes. With flu vaccine supplies already stocked by national health systems, including the NHS, implementing flu shots as part of post-heart attack care could be done swiftly and effectively.

Long-Term Heart Health

While influenza vaccination is a crucial tool, long-term heart health requires broader lifestyle changes. Coronary heart disease is the most common cause of heart attacks is primarily driven by modifiable risk factors: high-fat diets, inactivity, smoking, high blood pressure, and obesity.

One form of preventive care gaining renewed interest is cycling. A recent study published in the journal Sports Medicine found that individuals who cycle regularly especially for commuting or errands were 23% less likely to die prematurely. Just 130 minutes of cycling per week can significantly reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

As flu season approaches, getting vaccinated should be considered not just a personal choice but a cardiovascular strategy. The six-fold increase in heart attack risk following influenza infection is a sobering statistic — especially for those already living with heart disease.

Thousands of Indians die every year from heart disease. Now you may link it to high cholesterol and a lack of physical exercise, but the reality is different. According to researchers, these deaths are a result of exposure to a harmful chemical that is present in shampoos, food containers and all other common household plastic products.

A recent study published in The Lancet eBioMedicine has identified a significant link between exposure to di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP)—a chemical commonly used to make plastics more flexible—and heart disease deaths. Surprisingly, among the 200 countries evaluated, India had the highest burden of DEHP-linked cardiovascular deaths and accounted for almost a third of the global mortalities.

What Is DEHP?

DEHP is prevalent in numerous household items, including food containers, medical equipment, toys, shampoos and lotions. The study, conducted by researchers at NYU Langone Health, analysed urine samples and environmental data from over 200 countries and territories. They found that in 2018, DEHP exposure was associated with around 356,238 deaths among individuals aged 55 to 64, accounting for over 13 per cent of global heart disease deaths in that age group. The researchers attributed India's elevated mortality to the rapid expansion of its plastics industry, widespread use of DEHP-containing products and weaker regulatory controls compared to some other nations.

It is estimated that chemicals in plastic were linked to nearly 350,000 heart disease deaths across the world in 2018. Adding to that, is this study published in the journal eBioMedicine, which estimated that roughly 13 per cent of cardiovascular deaths among 55- to 64-year-olds worldwide that year could be attributed to phthalates.

Where Are Phthalates are esters of phthalic acids, which are added to plastics to increase their flexibility, transparency, durability, and longevity. They are found in personal care products like shampoos and lotions as well as in food containers and packaging. It is also possible to ingest them through food, absorb them through skin from products containing them or breathe them from dust.

Study Shows Phthalates Increase Risk of Heart Diseases

Some studies have shown an association between phthalates and cardiovascular disease, but there isn’t strong evidence to show that the chemicals directly cause heart issues, said Sung Kyun Park, a professor of epidemiology and environmental sciences at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. However, there is enough evidence that states that phthalates increase the risk of metabolic disorders like obesity and Type 2 diabetes, which can cause cardiovascular disease. One way phthalates may do this is by increasing oxidative stress—cell and tissue damage that happens when there are too many unstable molecules in the body—and by promoting inflammation.

US administration is slated to lay out a new approach to COVID vaccination at an event on Tuesday that could spell major changes in what is required to get regulatory approval for immunisations. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is featuring an upcoming town hall, set to begin Tuesday at 1 pm in Washington, titled "An evidence based approach to Covid vaccination." The two speakers listed are FDA Commissioner Marty Makary and Vinay Prasad, an outspoken critic of the drug industry who was recently appointed to lead the agency’s division that oversees vaccines.

This comes as the U.S. The Health and Human Services Department says it will require placebo testing of “all new vaccines.” In a statement to the Washington Post, the agency headed by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. called the new requirement “a radical departure from past practices.” It must be noted that Kennedy Jr. has been a blatant vaxxer.

Why is Covid Vaccination Still Important?

In contrast to the mRNA-based platforms of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, Novavax's vaccine is based on a recombinant protein platform—a technology that is akin to those employed in licensed vaccines such as hepatitis B. This technology could be desirable to those who were resistant to mRNA vaccines because they are worried about newer biotechnology.

Experts indicate that the Novavax vaccine might also be attractive in populations or regions where cold storage demands for mRNA vaccines have presented logistical problems. Yet with limited approval, this advantage won't necessarily come into full play under the existing rollout.

Who Can Actually Get The New Covid Vaccine?

The newly approved Novavax vaccine under the brand name Nuvaxovid will only be issued to:

Adults 65 and older

People aged 12 to 64 years with underlying health conditions

Such conditions, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), include asthma, diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and pregnancy. Behavioral and lifestyle risks like smoking, physical inactivity, and substance abuse also come under this category.

While the wide range of risk factors might limit the decision to many, most in the medical field find the ruling too restrictive. Former FDA Chief Scientist Jesse Goodman criticized the agency's limited approval publicly, saying, "The FDA approval process is intended to determine safety and efficacy, and permit access to approved vaccines. It is not where one makes policy suggestions for use of approved vaccines."

The newly-released figures show a troubling trend in death rates in the UK when compared with 21 other high-income countries, as well as finding deep inequalities in health between different parts of the UK.

Drawing on new research commissioned from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, the data suggest improvements in UK death rates slowed down significantly in the 2010s, more so than in most of the 21 other high-income countries studied.

By 2023, female mortality rates in the UK were 14% higher than the median of peer countries, with male mortality rates 9% higher. The research reveals significant inequalities across the UK.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland all have higher mortality rates than England, with Scotland performing particularly poorly. In 2021, only the US had a worse mortality rate than Scotland among the countries studied, while mortality rates were 20% higher in the North East and North West of England than in the South West.

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The relative worsening of death rates among the working age population is particularly stark. In 2023, female mortality rates for people aged 25-49 were 46% higher than the median of the other countries studied, and male rates were 31% higher.

Only Canada and the US experienced a similar worsening of death rates among this age group during the 2010s.

Poorer working age health in the UK is leading to lower labour force participation and acting as a drag on growth. Among the top three causes of death for people aged 25–49, death rates for cancers and circulatory diseases improved between 2001 and 2019.

In contrast, death rates from external causes (deaths due to injuries, poisonings and violence) worsened, accounting for 70%-80% of the difference in UK death rates at this age compared to the median of the countries studied over this period.

The research found that this is being fuelled by a shocking rise in drug-related deaths, with the rate of drug-related deaths in the UK more than three times higher in 2019 than the average of peer countries. It also found stark geographic inequalities in drug-related deaths.

In 2019, the drug-related mortality rate among 25–49-year-olds in Scotland was around 4 times higher than in England. Within England, the drug-related mortality rate in the North East was 3.5 times higher for males and almost 4 times higher for females than in London.

With the UK's health comparing increasingly poorly with other high-income countries, the Health Foundation is calling for a new strategy to tackle health inequalities, alongside long-term action to rebuild the nation's health and promote economic recovery in areas of long run industrial decline.

Dame Jennifer Dixon, Chief Executive of the Health Foundation, said: “This report is a health check we can’t afford to ignore – and the diagnosis is grim.

"The UK is becoming the sick person of the wealthy world, especially for people of working age. While other nations moved forward, we stalled – and in some areas, slipped badly behind."

The soaring drug-related deaths in Scotland and the North East are not just tragic – they are symptoms of long-standing neglect, economic stagnation and policy failure.

It’s clear that sticking plasters won’t cut it: we need a bold, long-term health strategy that tackles prevention, inequality, and underinvestment in public health head-on. And in particular far more urgent and targeted action on drugs.

“Improvements are possible and urgently needed Improving the nation’s health is not a luxury – it’s a necessity for economic growth and social stability.”