Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy, Happy Heart: Simple Steps to Achieving Long-Term Cardiovascular Health

Want a longer, healthier, happier life? Start with healthy, happy heart. Mayo Clinic cardiologists give simple advice and actionable steps to help you lower your cardiovascular risk at any age and enjoy living well.

Heart disease is the number-one killer in the United States. Despite the latest advances in treatment, when it comes to your heart, top experts agree: prevention is the best medicine. The good news is that it's never too late -- or too early -- to lower your risk of heart attack and stroke. And it doesn't have to be complicated.

Where do you start? Discover the keys to maximizing your heart health with this user-friendly manual. Based on the latest research and decades of clinical experience from 30+ cardiologists and other experts at the world-renowned Mayo Clinic, this book encourages a proactive, holistic approach that focuses on making positive changes before the appearance of heart disease. It breaks down the latest expertise -- and how to tell fact from fiction -- on key factors such as nutrition, exercise, stress management, the newest medications and even how sleep affects heart health. ​Full-color illustrations and infographics and an airy design with text call-outs help create an appealing, trade-oriented reading experience.

Included in the book are answers to many common questions, such as:

• What's the difference between "good" and "bad" cholesterol?
• Will Ozempic really benefit my heart?
• Should I test my blood pressure at home?
• Is red wine good for me?
• What's the best type of exercise for the heart?
• Are seed oils really bad for health?
• What should I make of headlines about microplastics and heart health?
• What are the biggest risk factors for heart disease?

In addition, the book offers simple steps you can put into action today, backed by compelling research that small changes really do add up. It even includes 20 recipes for heart-healthy meals to help make dietary changes easy and delicious. By focusing on preventive, everyday steps, Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy, Happy Heart shows that better heart health -- and all its benefits -- is within everyone's reach.


Author: Amir Lerman,Francisco Lopez-Jimenez,Kyla M. Lara-Breitinger
Publisher: Mayo Clinic Press
Published: 05/19/2026
Pages: 256
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.55lbs
ISBN: 9798887700427

About the Author
Amir Lerman, M.D., is a cardiologist at Mayo Clinic and serves as an Associate Chair of the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine and the Director of the Cardiovascular Research Center and the Medical Director of the Chest Pain and Coronary Physiology Clinic. Dr. Lerman graduated from the Technion School of Medicine in Haifa, Israel and completed his training in Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular Medicine and Invasive Cardiology at Mayo Clinic. Dr. Leman's interest is coronary physiology and imaging, regenerative medicine, innovative technologies, and digital health. He lives in Rochester, Minnesota.

Francisco Lopez-Jimenez, M.D., M.S., is a cardiologist at Mayo Clinic and is the Chair of the Division of Preventive Cardiology. He is also Director of the Cardiometabolic Clinic, Co-Director of Artificial Intelligence in Cardiology and Editor-in-Chief of Mayo Clinic Proceedings: Digital Health. Dr. Lopez-Jimenez's interests are in preventive cardiology and risk reduction, and the link between obesity and cardiovascular disease. He lives in Rochester, Minnesota.

Kyla Lara-Breitinger M.D., is a cardiologist at Mayo Clinic practicing in the Division of Cardiovascular Prevention and Division of Echocardiography. Her clinical focus includes primary and secondary cardiovascular disease prevention, management of obesity-related cardiovascular disease, nutrition interventions to improve cardiovascular disease risk factors, and basic and advanced echocardiography. She lives in Rochester, Minnesota.