Cardiovascular And Metabolic Health

An AI tool can now scan the back of your eye - and tell if you’re at risk of a heart attack. It’s called CLAiR, built by San Diego–based Toku, and the FDA just granted it Breakthrough Device status. If it’s approved, this could become the first non-invasive way in the U.S. to detect cardiovascular disease from a simple retina photo. Here’s how it works: ▶ A 20-second retina scan for heart disease CLAiR analyzes tiny blood vessel patterns in retinal images - the same images taken during routine eye exams. Using AI, it estimates the risk of: - heart disease - hypertension - high cholesterol - stroke - type 2 diabetes And it does this without CT scans, blood tests, or any invasive imaging. ▶ Runs on cameras clinics already own CLAiR plugs into existing retinal cameras - meaning optometrists, pharmacies, and primary-care clinics could offer cardiovascular screening without buying any new hardware. That’s why the FDA granted Breakthrough status: it could expand early detection to millions of adults who never get heart screening today. Toku’s CEO Ehsan Vaghefi grew up with a blind father who lost his vision at age four - and spent his childhood surrounded by families affected by preventable blindness. That shaped his mission: use the eye as a window into systemic disease. Today, Vaghefi is a professor of Optometry & Vision Science 5 patents, and $15M+ in research grants. Now, his startup Toku has raised $8 Million and are getting ready to deploy with FDA clearance. If retinal-based cardiovascular screening works at scale, it could turn a simple eye exam into a lifesaving diagnostic test. Do you this could be the future of heart screening? #entrepreneurship #healthtech #innovation

❤️ Your Watch is Now Your Guardian Angel: The Power of Digital Health This news is everything. My jaw dropped when I saw this Apple Watch didn't just tell time—it detected Atrial Fibrillation and helped save a life. 😳 This is the new reality. Our consumer gadgets are moving from convenience to crucial intervention: ⌚️ Apple Watch: ECG/AFib features are giving real-time heart health warnings. 🎧 AirPods: Evolving into accessible hearing assistance devices. 🛰️ Satellite Texting: Rescuing people far outside cell service. They are the ultimate early warning systems, turning preventative medicine into something we wear every day. Why this shift is so important to me: Early detection is everything. These devices are democratizing health monitoring in a way no medical system ever could. 🤫 The Hidden Story: When Apple Watch's heart rate sensor launched, the team's primary goal was simple: accurate fitness tracking. They weren't initially mandated to build a "life-saving device." The first wave of letters from users saying, "Your watch alerted me to a dangerous heart condition and saved my life," was a powerful surprise that permanently shifted the entire Watch team's mission toward global health. The most vital device you own might not be a status symbol, but the small piece of tech on your wrist. #DigitalHealth #Innovation #LifeSavingTech #PreventativeCare

Early in my career as a cardiologist, I used the word “noncompliant” for patients who didn’t follow a plan. I don’t anymore. What I’ve learned: behavior has context. Missed medications or appointments are often about cost, transportation, work schedules, or caregiving. Not a lack of caring. Nearly 1 in 4 U.S. adults reports cost-related medication nonadherence. Trust breaks when patients feel judged for circumstances beyond their control. It rebuilds when we ask: What’s actually getting in the way? What would make this possible? Effective care meets people where they are. Not where we assume they should be. #justoneheart

Today we're publishing three years of data from Neko Health, drawn from our first 80,000 members. Consumer health testing usually focuses on finding problems before symptoms appear, and it’s an important part of what we do. But the holy grail of prevention is what's called primary prevention: improving people's health trajectories before something goes wrong. That has always been the hardest part. This data is an encouraging sign that Neko members are on improved health trajectories. Among the 9,138 members who have returned for a second scan, as a group they saw improvements on five cardiometabolic biomarkers between scan one and scan two: blood pressure (systolic and diastolic), cholesterol (non-HDL and HDL), blood sugar (HbA1c), weight and grip strength And this wasn't driven just by the people with problems that we helped get better. Members with no diagnosis and no medication also improved across the board. Healthy people, getting measurably healthier. Our members' heart age (as estimated by the QRISK3 model) showed an aging of nine months compared to twelve months for the average person. For members already managing high blood pressure, high cholesterol or diabetes, the effect was strongest of all: about 2.5 times bigger improvement than for someone without one of these conditions. The people with the most at stake gained the most. So from those who are healthy, to those with existing conditions, we saw clear improvements in key biomarkers, a great sign for the long-term health of our members. Full report in the comments. I'd love to hear your thoughts and questions on the data.

“I barely eat sugar.” You say that as you tuck into: – White pasta – Two slices of toast – A jacket potato for lunch – A “healthy” wrap from Pret – A chicken stir-fry with sweet soy sauce Here’s the truth your bloodstream cares about: Sugar is sugar. Whether it’s Haribo or your toast for breakfast. Most people only track what they add. A spoon in your brew. A drizzle of ketchup. A biscuit at 3pm. But the real damage... It’s hidden in your “healthy” carbs. Let’s break it down: • 2 slices of white Warburtons = 33g carbs = 8 teaspoons of sugar • 1 bowl of white pasta = 42g carbs = 10+ teaspoons of sugar Add a jar of sauce? That’s another 6–8g Spoiler: most contain glucose syrup So you eat clean. You hit 10k steps. You train 3x a week. But… The belly fat’s still there You crash after lunch You crave something sweet by 9pm Here’s why. Your body’s stuck in fat-storage mode. 2 triggers keep it there: 1. Cortisol (from stress and poor sleep) 2. Insulin (spiked by sugar and fast carbs) If both are constantly elevated, You’re not in fat-burning mode. You’re in survival mode. Not all carbs are bad. But not all carbs are equal. Quick carbs (simple) = quick sugar hits • White bread • White rice • Bagels • Pasta Slow carbs (complex) = stable energy • Wholegrains • Lentils • Beans • Fibrous veg The difference... Fiber in the carb Simple swaps that make a big difference: → Switch white pasta → edamame spaghetti (More protein. More fibre. Less crash.) → Switch white bread → Jason’s Protein Sourdough (5g fibre. 9g protein. Slows digestion.) → Switch sauces → Clean-label or homemade (Read the label. <4g sugar per 100g is a win.) You don’t need to cut carbs. You need to upgrade them. I believe we’ve normalised high sugar living, And called it “healthy eating.” UK adult RDA for sugar, Just 30g per day (That’s 7 teaspoons total. Max) Then we blame age or metabolism for weight gain. But it’s not your age. It’s your blood sugar and stress. Let's not forget calories matter as much as the quality of those calories consumed. Who's with me?

For decades, we've treated obesity and its complications one at a time — diabetes, knee osteoarthritis pain, moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea — as if they were unrelated.   Today at #ADA2026, we shared data that point to a potential different approach. In our late-stage TRIUMPH-1 study, patients on the 12 mg dose of our investigational once-weekly triple hormone receptor agonist lost an average of 70 pounds over 80 weeks — with reductions in knee osteoarthritis pain of 73% on average at the 12 mg dose and obstructive sleep apnea severity of 61% on average at the 9 mg dose.   For many people living with obesity, these conditions go hand in hand — and these data suggest a single therapy may be able to address them. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gFF8iVmr  

A study of over 122,000 people found that having a low VO₂ max carries a greater risk of early death than smoking, diabetes, or heart disease. Not slightly greater. A 404% increased risk of death compared to those with the highest levels. VO₂ max measures your body's ability to take in and use oxygen when it's needed most. When it's high, you move effortlessly, recover faster, and sustain energy throughout the day. When it's low, even small physical tasks leave you winded — and over time that limits your mobility and independence. No matter where you're starting from, improving your cardiovascular fitness lowers your risk of dying early. Daily walks move the needle if you're coming from a low baseline. If you're already active, adding intensity, distance, or short bursts of speed will push it further. Your VO₂ max responds to training at any age. It is one of the most powerful levers you have for a longer, healthier life.

Half of women under 65 who have a heart attack have NO blocked arteries. Yet most of our understanding of heart disease is still based on the male heart. This isn’t a rare exception, it’s a major blind spot in modern cardiology. More than 50% of heart attacks in younger women are not caused by cholesterol or plaque buildup. Their arteries can be completely clear. So what’s really happening? 🔹 Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection (SCAD): a small tear in the artery wall that suddenly blocks blood flow. It often affects healthy, active women with no traditional risk factors. 🔹 Blood clots or embolisms: clots forming elsewhere in the body can travel to the heart. 🔹 Stress-induced or inflammatory heart attacks: severe stress, infections, or anaemia can all trigger one, even without artery damage. These causes are often missed because most tests and treatments were designed around the “typical” male heart attack. As a result, many women are misdiagnosed or receive treatments that don’t match their biology. It’s time to shift how we think about women’s hearts, and prevention starts early. → Get your Health Check: if you’re over 40, check blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar, even if you feel great. → Know the signs: fatigue, breathlessness, or pain in the jaw, back or stomach can all point to heart strain. → Manage stress and inflammation: poor sleep, chronic infections, and emotional overload are powerful triggers. → Ask for a thorough evaluation: don’t stop at a normal angiogram if symptoms persist. → Don’t skip cardiac rehab: women benefit immensely, yet are less likely to be referred. Not all heart attacks come from clogged arteries. Not all hearts follow the same rules. Every woman deserves to be listened to, and every doctor must remember: prevention isn’t gender-neutral.

📊 The future of wearables: One device, multiple, diverse measurements Most wearables still measure just one or two similar type of health metrics. Trinity Biotech br’s CGM+ goes further: ✅ Continuous glucose monitoring ✅ Heart activity (ECG-like insights) ✅ Body temperature ✅ Physical activity & motion All in one sleek, modular, AI-native wearable - designed for both clinical precision and consumer lifestyle. This week it was shown their needle-free glucose sensor now delivers 15 days of accurate readings without finger‑stick calibration, marking a major technical breakthrough. This is more than data collection. It’s the start of multi-sensor health intelligence. By integrating glucose, cardiovascular, thermoregulation, and movement data, we get a contextual, real-time map of metabolic health. In my latest book, Epic, I describe how holistic, continuous, and personal measurement is the foundation for truly preventive healthcare and longevity strategies. Devices like CGM+ are exactly the kind of platforms that can deliver this - bridging medical-grade monitoring with everyday health optimisation. The unique combination of measurements isn’t just about tracking - it’s about understanding the interplay of sleep, stress, nutrition, and movement, so we can predict and prevent issues long before they become disease. From chronic disease management to longevity coaching, this is a glimpse of the AI-powered future of self-driven health. Kudos to CEO John Gillard and team. #Longevity #DigitalHealth #Wearables #AIHealth #PrecisionMedicine #diabetes #lifestyle Diabetotech

Without action to course-correct, obesity and overweight will impact more than half of adults and one in three children by 2050.  This is a catastrophe with profound human and economic costs.  But it is avoidable. As chief executive of Novo Nordisk from 2017 until earlier this month, I've witnessed what's possible when science, policy and human determination align. In this piece for subscribers in The Economist, I've outlined what I believe it takes to turn the tide – and why the next five years will determine global health for decades to come. There's no quick fix for a challenge of this magnitude. The data prove that treatment alone won’t suffice. What's needed now is a fundamental shift: prioritising prevention over cure, policy over pills, and cities designed for health rather than convenience. The solution? Moving from looking at diseases in isolation to a holistic, patient-centred care model that addresses root causes. The tools exist. The science is clear. Time to act.