Roundup: Heart Attacks Depicted in Movies are Mostly Misleading, Finds New Study; and More News

Here’s How Heart Attacks are Portrayed Inaccurately in Movies, Researchers Say

A new study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association finds that the mostly inaccurate portrayals of heart attacks in movies are contributing to public misconceptions about heart attack symptoms – and how they affect anyone other than older white males.

A news release from the American Heart Association (AHA) explains that the film industry “overwhelmingly portrays heart attacks” by having white men clutching their chests and collapsing. Women and people from underrepresented races and ethnicities are rarely seen having heart attacks on the big screen. The more typical symptoms of a heart attack – which are often much more subtle than sharp chest pain – are also rarely depicted, the AHA states.

"Given the crucial role popular media plays in shaping public understanding of health issues, this lack of representation could be contributing to the misunderstanding that cardiovascular disease is a man's disease," said the study's lead author, Kirsten Shaw, M.D., a cardiology fellow at Allina Health Minneapolis Heart Institute in Minnesota, in a statement.

If you believe you are experiencing heart attack symptoms, Baptist Health Heart & Vascular Care recommends calling 911 immediately. Any delay in treatment can decrease survival rate.

"In reality, heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women in the U.S. and disproportionately affects racial and ethnic minority populations," adds Dr. Shaw. "But they aren't seeing themselves represented in popular media."

A heart attack is when one of the coronary arteries becomes blocked, preventing the normal flow of blood to the heart muscle. Cardiac arrest, which is less common than heart attacks and likely will cause a person to collapse, is when the heart suddenly stops beating and pumping blood.

Of 100 movie scenes depicting heart attacks analyzed for the study, 90 involved men and 10 depicted women. Overall, 94 of the actors portraying heart attacks were white, including nine women. None of the women were Black.

The two most prevalent heart attack signs shown on screen were falling to the ground and losing consciousness, which the study’s authors point out may occur during a heart attack -- but are uncommon. All 10 women and 88 percent of the men in the films fell while experiencing a heart attack, while 88 percent of the women and 68 percent of the men lost consciousness.

“In reality, while chest pain is a common symptom for both men and women, women's symptoms are often more subtle,” states the AHA. “They may feel discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts a few minutes or goes away and comes back, pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, jaw, neck or stomach. Other symptoms may include shortness of breath, breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness.”

For the study, researchers reviewed 172 top-ranked movies from the U.S. and around the world. They identified scenes from 83 U.S. and 17 international films from 1932 to 2022 in which actors portrayed having a myocardial infarction, the medical term for a heart attack.

FDA: New Phase of Sodium-Reduction Effort Aims to Lower Salt Levels for Certain Foods

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced fresh goals to reduce sodium levels in packaged and processed foods by about 20 percent, after previous efforts to alleviate diet-related chronic diseases have shown some signs of success.

Consuming too much sodium, which primarily comes from salt, can increase a person’s blood pressure and raise the risks for heart disease and stroke. The FDA states that “reducing sodium intake has the potential to prevent hundreds of thousands of premature deaths and illnesses in the coming years …”

In a new release, the FDA said its “Phase II” voluntary targets for the food industry will continue to focus on reducing sodium levels in “commercially processed, packaged, and prepared foods in the marketplace.” This phase is particularly relevant as more than 70 percent of sodium intake among U.S. consumes comes from sodium added during food manufacturing and commercial food preparation, the agency said.

The FDA seeks to cut sodium intake over the next three years to an average of 2,750 milligrams per day, which is about 20 percent lower than the levels prior to 2021. In 2021, when the FDA initiated its Phase 1 target program, consumer intake was approximately 3,400 milligrams per day, on average.

The U.S.-recommended daily limit of sodium is 2,300 mg.

“Reducing sodium in the food supply has the potential to be one of the most important public health initiatives in a generation, “ said FDA Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods Jim Jones. “The early successes we’re seeing with sodium level reduction in certain foods is encouraging and indicative of the impact we believe our overall nutrition approach can have on the wellbeing of society.”

The FDA is also working on a final rule updating the definition of the claim ‘healthy,’ a proposed rule for front-of-package nutrition labeling, Mr. Jones added.

Plant-Based Mediterranean Diet Can Make You Feel Less Stressed, Researchers Find

Following the plant-based Mediterranean diet, promoted widely by nutrition and medical experts as ideal for overall health, may also make you feel like you’re under less stress, according to new research from Binghamton University, State University of New York.

The findings suggest that people can lower “their perception of how much stress they can tolerate” – which diminishes the likelihood of stress leading to more serious mental health issues, researchers found.

“Stress is recognized to be a precursor to mental distress, and research, including our own, has demonstrated that the Mediterranean diet lowers mental distress,” said Lina Begdache, associate professor of health and wellness studies at Binghamton University, in a statement. “Thus, one element of the puzzle may be explained by the fact that the Mediterranean diet may be associated with a decrease in the negative components of perceived stress and an improvement in its positive attributes.”

The Mediterranean diet is primarily a plant-based eating plan that includes whole grains, olive oil and healthy fats, fruits, vegetables, beans and other legumes, nuts, herbs, and spices. Meat and dairy are eaten in smaller quantities, with the preferred animal protein being fish and seafood, followed by poultry. Red meat is eaten infrequently.

The U.S. government’s dietary guidelines, also known as My Plate, focus on plant-based options.

The Mediterranean diet “stands in sharp contrast to the Western diet, which is known for its high concentration of high-glycemic and low-quality processed foods,” states a news release on the current study.

The Binghamton University researchers used a machine learning model after conducting a survey of more than 1,500 people, asking them what types of foods they ate and assessing their levels of perceived stress.

Professor Begdache stated said that these results “close a gap in the literature because the majority of studies on diet and stress focused on how stress affects dietary choices and quality.” She and her team are looking at “different aspects of brain function and behaviors in relation to dietary patterns.”