In a Fox News interview, Dr. Tiffany Di Pietro, an internist and board‑certified cardiologist, discusses a recent American Heart Association report showing that people in their late 30s and early 40s are experiencing twice as many strokes as a few years ago. She attributes this surge to lifestyle changes across generations, especially increased consumption of sugary, processed foods that have led to higher rates of obesity and diabetes—key risk factors for cardiovascular disease and stroke. Dr. Di Pietro emphasizes simple, actionable prevention: regularly know your blood pressure, avoid smoking, manage cholesterol, maintain a healthy diet and exercise, and attend annual physical exams, with medication when prescribed. She clarifies that home blood‑pressure monitoring is optional and should follow a doctor’s recommendation. The conversation also touches on heart disease statistics from the American Medical Association, noting a heart attack occurs every 42 seconds in the U.S., and highlights emerging research where scientists regenerated mouse heart tissue using molecules derived from zebrafish, which she describes as promising but not yet ready for clinical use. Throughout, she stresses personal responsibility and regular medical check‑ups to detect and address health issues early.
Chapters
A troubling new report from the American Heart Association showing people in their late 30s and early 40s now suffering twice as many strokes as just a few years ago. We want to bring in Dr. Tiffany Di Pietro, internist, board-certified cardiologist, and women's health expert to talk about this. You know, these— thank you for joining us, doctor. These new numbers are very concerning for people in this age bracket. So what do you think is contributing to these high numbers?
Well, what it seems like is, you know, old habits die hard. And what we realize is this older generation, or the golden generation, they didn't have the sugary processed foods that the younger generation kind of grew up with. In the 1960s is when the sugary cereal started coming out, and then my generation, you know, the Pop-Tart generation, so we have Pop-Tarts and, and, you know, cheese danishes for breakfast. And what's happening is as we get older and this younger generation begins to age, is they're having an increased risk of diabetes and obesity, and we know those are Two of the biggest risk factors really for cardiovascular disease and stroke.
You know, many people think of having a stroke as something that happens to older adults. It's what we sort of grew up hearing about. What can young adults do to fight their chances off of having one?
Hands down, it's knowing your numbers. So you want to know your blood pressure. It's very important. I tell people, know your blood pressure like you know your shirt size or your shoe size. Obviously not smoking. Smoking, number one risk factor for any sort of cardiovascular disease. And keeping your cholesterol down. So it really is something as simple as eat well and exercise, and if you need to be on medications, take them.
And when you say know your blood pressure, am I imagining people going out and getting those blood pressure cuffs that they keep in their house? Is that what type of monitoring you're talking about?
Well, it's— honestly, you just want to see your doctor once a year, and then, you know, it's the doctor's recommendation to whether someone should really be monitoring their blood pressure more carefully at home.
Okay, so heart disease, we want to talk about that. It's obviously a very big problem in America. The latest stats from the American Medical Association show the rate of death fell from 20% from 1983 to 2011. They also say 1 in 4 deaths in the country are linked to the condition, and that someone in the U.S. suffers a heart attack every 42 seconds. That's staggering. But a new study is showing promise after scientists successfully regrew heart tissue in mice using molecules from zebrafish. All right, you know, this sounds like something out of science fiction, but it sounds like it could be promising. Yeah.
You know, it It's definitely promising, not ready for primetime yet. These things take years to really develop and start the clinical trials in humans, but it just goes to show you, I mean, we really are at the forefront in the future of medicine, and we never really know where some of this research is going to take us.
You know, when you circle back, I want to go back to that statistics that someone has a heart attack every 42 seconds in the United States. Really need to, like, let that sink in. It makes people sit up, take notice, So what do you hope more people will do to keep themselves heart healthy? We're getting ready for those New Year's resolutions any day.
You know, again, I'm gonna circle back because it really is that important. It's about knowing and taking control of your own health. There are so many people, you know, I have people in my office come in, "Oh, Doc, I'm here for a physical." My next question is, "When's the last time you had one?" "Oh, it's been 6 or 7 years since I've had a physical." And that's, you know, that's not good. You need to be seeing your doctor every year. And you know, look, best-case scenario is your doctor says, You're awesome, I'll see you in a year. Worst case scenario, say, listen, at least we found what's gonna— at least we found the problem and we can correct it before something bad happens to you.
All right, Dr. Tiffany Di Pietro, appreciate your tips today. Thank you. And we'll look forward to talking to you in the new year.
