Environmental and lifestyle issues were popular this year, with pick up from both European Society of Cardiology (ESC) journals and congresses. Here is a list of the top 10 ESC stories that generated the most media coverage worldwide:
1. Air pollution causes 800,000 extra deaths a year in Europe and 8.8 million worldwide: 1,650 clippings (European Heart Journal)
2. Bed time is the best time to take blood pressure medication: 1,404 clippings (European Heart Journal)
3. Brush your teeth to protect the heart: 750 clippings (European Journal of Preventive Cardiology)
4. Fathers-to-be should avoid alcohol six months before conception: 513 clippings (European Journal of Preventive Cardiology)
5. Eating nuts linked with lower risk of fatal heart attack and stroke: 351 clippings (ESC Congress 2019 together with the World Congress of Cardiology)
6. Ability to lift weights quickly can mean a longer life: 498 clippings (EuroPrevent 2019)
7. Late dinner and no breakfast is a killer combination: 467 clippings (European Journal of Preventive Cardiology)
8. Move more to live longer: 436 clippings (EuroPrevent 2019)
9. Women call ambulance for husbands with heart attacks but not for themselves: 386 clippings (Acute Cardiovascular Care 2019)
10. Fathers-to-be: Smoking could harm your baby: 239 clippings (European Journal of Preventive Cardiology)
March 04, 2026 
