Health
Heavy snow is recipe for serious heart attack risk, experts say: What to know
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In addition to travel and logistical challenges, heavy snowfall can be detrimental to people’s health.
As the northeast faces historic snow accumulation this week, experts are warning of the physical risks of shoveling heavy snow, particularly for those who do not exercise regularly or have pre-existing health conditions.
“The combination of the wet, heavy snow and the heavy winds make it more of a health risk because it’s much harder to get around,” Fox News senior medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel told Fox News Digital.
“In the aftermath of the storm, as the temperatures drop, the heavy, wet snow forms ice, which makes walking and driving treacherous.”
Heavy, wet snow can get inside clothes and cause “more of a chill,” potentially leading to hypothermia in severe cases, according to Siegel.
People who are not usually physically active are at a greater risk of heart attack while shoveling snow. (iStock)
In a Monday appearance on “Fox & Friends,” the doctor stressed the importance of being properly dressed in these conditions.
“I saw this morning people who weren’t covered properly … weren’t wearing gloves, didn’t have the full hat, or the kind of overcoat they needed,” he said.
“The combination of the wet, heavy snow and the heavy winds make it more of a health risk.”
“They also weren’t looking out for each other. You need to look out for each other. With this kind of wind, you get really easily discombobulated.”
Siegel urged people to stay indoors unless it’s absolutely necessary to leave their home.
“Watch out if you are outside for brief periods — for fallen power lines or for trees that are down. That’s very, very dangerous as well,” he cautioned. “That’s where a lot of the injuries come from.”
Snow covering several cars on the street in New York City on Feb. 23, 2026. (Fox News Digital)
There’s also an increased risk of falling, as well as electrocution from power lines being weighed down by heavy snow. Going without power poses its own health risks, Siegel mentioned.
Dr. Joshua Latzman, cardiologist at White Plains Hospital Physician Associates in White Plains, New York, shared with the American Heart Association (AMA) that research has shown heavy snow shoveling can put “significant stress on the heart.”
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“In frigid temperatures, that added strain can increase the risk of a heart-related event,” he said. “This can be especially dangerous for people who are out of shape or not used to strenuous activity.”
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Shoveling in the wind can also increase the risk of a health event, since exposure to colder air can raise blood pressure and constrict the coronary arteries, according to the AMA.
“Many heart-related events occur in people who are usually inactive,” Latzman went on. “When someone who is sedentary suddenly takes on heavy shoveling after a storm, that unexpected strain can unfortunately lead to a serious emergency.”
A woman walks her dog on a closed street in the Upper East Side of Manhattan during a record-breaking snowstorm on Feb. 23, 2026. (Lauren Abbondondolo)
Straining to lift something heavy can have the same effect if normal breathing is impacted.
Other at-risk groups include people who are obese, those who smoke or have smoked in the past, people with diabetes, and those with high cholesterol or high blood pressure. Anyone who has previously had a heart attack or stroke is also at greater risk, the AMA reported.
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“Anyone with these characteristics, including people who have undergone bypass surgery or coronary angioplasty, should not be shoveling snow,” Latzman concluded.
Exposure to cold temperatures can spike blood pressure, experts warn. (iStock)
Siegel urged those who may be at risk to avoid going out with their shovels and “being a hero.”
“It’s about the most cardiac expenditure of energy that you can have,” he said. “So if you’ve been sedentary, don’t go and shovel. Get a younger person or somebody who’s in much better shape to do it.”
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If shoveling is unavoidable, experts advise doing it gradually and at a comfortable pace. The AMA also suggests covering your mouth and nose and dressing in layers, including a hat and gloves.
Pushing or sweeping the snow is safer than lifting and throwing, as it requires less energy.
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A new report by the American Heart Association (AHA) included some troubling predictions for the future of women’s health.
The forecast, published in the journal Circulation on Wednesday, projected increases in various comorbidities in American females by 2050.
More than 59% of women were predicted to have high blood pressure, up from less than 49% currently.
The review also projected that more than 25% of women will have diabetes, compared to about 15% today, and more than 61% will have obesity, compared to 44% currently.
As a result of these risk factors, the prevalence of cardiovascular disease and stroke is expected to rise to 14.4% from 10.7%.
The prevalence of cardiovascular disease and stroke in women is expected to rise to 14.4% from 10.7% by 2050. (iStock)
Not all trends were negative, as unhealthy cholesterol prevalence is expected to drop to about 22% from more than 42% today, the report stated.
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Dr. Elizabeth Klodas, a cardiologist and founder of Step One Foods in Minnesota, commented on these “jarring findings.”
“The fact that on our current trajectory, cardiometabolic disease is projected to explode in women within one generation should be a huge wake-up call,” she told Fox News Digital.
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“Hypertension, diabetes, obesity — these are all major risk factors for heart disease, and we are already seeing what those risks are driving. Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women, eclipsing all other causes of death, including breast cancer.”
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for women in the U.S. and around the world. (iStock)
Klodas warned that heart disease starts early, progresses “stealthily,” and can present “out of the blue in devastating ways.”
The AHA published another study on Thursday revealing one million hospitalizations, showing that heart attack deaths are climbing among adults below the age of 55.
The more alarming finding, according to Klodas, is that young women were found more likely to die after their first heart attack than men of the same age.
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“This is all especially tragic since heart disease is almost entirely preventable,” she said. “The earlier you start, the better.”
Children can show early evidence of plaque deposition in their arteries, which can be reversed through lifestyle changes if “undertaken early enough and aggressively enough,” according to the expert.
Moving more is one part of protecting a healthy heart, according to experts. (iStock)
Klodas suggested that rising heart conditions are associated with traditional risk factors, like smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity and a sedentary lifestyle.
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Doctors are also seeing higher rates of preeclampsia, or high blood pressure during pregnancy, as well as gestational diabetes. Klodas noted that these are sex-specific risk factors that don’t typically contribute to complications until after menopause.
The best way to protect a healthy heart is to “do the basics,” Klodas recommended, including the following lifestyle habits.
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Klodas especially emphasized making improvements to diet, as the food people eat affects “every single risk factor that the AHA’s report highlights.”
“High blood pressure, high blood sugar, high cholesterol, excess weight – these are all conditions that are driven in part or in whole by food,” she said. “We eat multiple times every single day, which means what we eat has profound cumulative effects over time.”
“Even a small improvement in dietary intake, when maintained, can have a massive positive impact on health,” a doctor said. (iStock)
“Even a small improvement in dietary intake, when maintained, can have a massive positive impact on health.”
The doctor also recommends changing out a few snacks per day for healthier choices, which has been proven to “yield medication-level cholesterol reductions” in a month.
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“Keep up that small change and, over the course of a year, you could also lose 20 pounds and reduce your sodium intake enough to avoid blood pressure-lowering medications,” Klodas added.
“Women should not view the AHA report as inevitable. We have power over our health destinies. We just need to use it.”
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Nearsightedness (myopia) is skyrocketing globally, with nearly half of the world’s population expected to be myopic by 2050, according to the World Health Organization.
Heavy use of smartphones and other devices is associated with an 80% higher risk of myopia when combined with excessive computer use, but a new study suggests that dim indoor lighting could also be a factor.
For years, scientists have been puzzled by the different ways myopia is triggered. In lab settings, it can be induced by blurring vision or using different lenses. Conversely, it can be slowed by something as simple as spending time outdoors, research suggests.
Nearsightedness occurs when the eyeball grows too long from front to back, according to the American Optometric Association (AOA). This physical elongation causes light to focus in front of the retina rather than directly on it, making distant objects appear blurry.
The study suggests that myopia isn’t caused by the digital devices themselves, but by the low-light environments where they are typically used. (iStock)
Researchers at the State University of New York (SUNY) College of Optometry identified a potential specific trigger for this growth. When someone looks at a phone or a book up close, the pupil naturally constricts.
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“In bright outdoor light, the pupil constricts to protect the eye while still allowing ample light to reach the retina,” Urusha Maharjan, a SUNY Optometry doctoral student who conducted the study, said in a press release.
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“When people focus on close objects indoors, such as phones, tablets or books, the pupil can also constrict — not because of brightness, but to sharpen the image,” she went on. “In dim lighting, this combination may significantly reduce retinal illumination.”
High-intensity natural light prevents myopia because it provides enough retinal stimulation to override the “stop growing” signal, even when pupils are constricted. (iStock)
The hypothesis suggests that when the retina is deprived of light during extended close-up work, it sends a signal for the eye to grow.
In a dim environment, the narrowed pupil allows so little light through that the retinal activity isn’t strong enough to signal the eye to stop growing, the researchers found.
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In contrast, being outdoors provides light levels much brighter than indoors. This ensures that even when the pupil narrows to focus on a nearby object, the retina still receives a strong signal, maintaining healthy eye development.
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The team noted some limitations of the study, including the small subject group and the inability to directly measure internal lens changes, as the bright backgrounds used to mimic the outdoors made pupils too small for standard equipment.
Researchers believe that increasing indoor brightness during close-up work could be a simple, testable way to slow the global nearsightedness epidemic. (iStock)
“This is not a final answer,” Jose-Manuel Alonso, MD, PhD, SUNY distinguished professor and senior author of the study, said in the release.
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“But the study offers a testable hypothesis that reframes how visual habits, lighting and eye focusing interact.”
The study was published in the journal Cell Reports.
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