People with heart disease who take cholesterol-lowering statins, among the most widely used medications around the world, may have a lower risk of depression than those who don't take the drugs, according to a U.S. study of nearly a thousand people.

Treating stable heart patients with a handful of pills works just as well as propping open blocked heart arteries with a stent, U.S. researchers said on Monday, adding to evidence that less-invasive, less-costly drug treatment works as well as implanting a medical device in such patients.

Diet soda may benefit the waistline, but people who drink it everyday may have a heightened risk of heart attack and stroke, according to a new U.S. study.

A tiny infant became one of the smallest-ever recipients of a pacemaker, undergoing the procedure just 15 minutes after being born, Stanford University announced.

Pet owners with chronic diseases appear to have healthier hearts than people living without an animal companion, whether furry, scaly or feathery, according to a Japanese study.

Measuring blood pressure on both arms rather than only one can reveal an elevated risk of heart disease or even death, according to a study released Monday.

Grief over the death of a loved one can cause a huge spike in a person's risk of heart attack, especially in the early days after the loss, said a U.S. study on Monday.

People who eat too much of a high-calorie, low-protein diet tend to gain more body fat than people who overeat high amounts of protein, U.S. researchers said Tuesday.

Children who get more exercise also tend to do better in school, whether the exercise comes as recess, physical education classes or getting exercise on the way to school, according to an international study.

Heart health campaigners urged the British government Thursday to follow Australia's lead and ban all eye-catching designs and branding from cigarette packs to stop young people being lured into smoking.