Will weight training cause a heart attack?

Is weightlifting dangerous for your heart? Dr. Philip Ovadia, heart surgeon and metabolic health expert, breaks down the real risks, benefits, and how to lift safely—especially if you have underlying heart disease or risk factors.

Read More

Maintaining your heart health on the road

How travel impacts heart and metabolic health—and what you can do about it. Dr. Philip Ovadia shares practical, evidence-based strategies to protect your heart while traveling, including movement, nutrition, sleep, hydration, and alcohol avoidance.

Read More

Addressing the sugar diet as a cardiac surgeon

No, it’s not a seasonal joke: the sugar diet is very real. It has waned somewhat from its zenith of popularity, but I feel now is the best time to weigh in — before people set their sights on fad diets for New Years.  Just as you might have expected: no, it’s not something I

Read More

Why are current heart health guidelines failing women?

Women make up more than 60 million cases of heart disease in the U.S., yet they remain consistently underdiagnosed and underserved. Shifting hormones, outdated assumptions about age, and major sex differences in key biomarkers all contribute to poorer outcomes for women — including rising heart attack rates in younger age groups.

Read More

A Cardiac Surgeon’s Look at RFK Jr’s Proposed Dietary Guidelines

The Make America Health Again (MAHA) movement is driving a major nutrition shift in 2025, as HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. prepares to release new U.S. dietary guidelines. Cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Philip Ovadia examines how these shorter, “common-sense” guidelines could reshape heart health by emphasizing whole, real foods, revisiting saturated fat, and rethinking traditional low-fat advice.

Read More