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Heart 411: The Only Guide to Heart Health You'll Ever Need
The definitive guide to heart health from two of America's most respected doctors at Cleveland Clinic, the #1 hospital for heart health in America.
Are you one of the eighty-two million Americans currently diagnosed with cardiovascular disease—or one of the millions more who think they are healthy but are at risk? Whether your goal is to get the best treatment or stay out of the cardiologist’s office, your heart's health depends upon accurate information and correct answers to key questions. In Heart 411, two renowned experts, heart surgeon Marc Gillinov and cardiologist Steven Nissen, tackle the questions their patients have raised over their decades of practice: Can the stress of my job really lead to a heart attack? How does exercise help my heart, and what is the right amount and type of exercise? What are the most important tests for my heart, and when do I need them? How do symptoms and treatments differ among men, women, and children?
Backed by decades of clinical experience and up-to-the-minute research, yet written in the accessible, down-to-earth tone of your trusted family doctor, Heart 411 cuts through the confusion to give you the knowledge and tools you need to live a long and heart-healthy life.
Are you one of the eighty-two million Americans currently diagnosed with cardiovascular disease—or one of the millions more who think they are healthy but are at risk? Whether your goal is to get the best treatment or stay out of the cardiologist’s office, your heart's health depends upon accurate information and correct answers to key questions. In Heart 411, two renowned experts, heart surgeon Marc Gillinov and cardiologist Steven Nissen, tackle the questions their patients have raised over their decades of practice: Can the stress of my job really lead to a heart attack? How does exercise help my heart, and what is the right amount and type of exercise? What are the most important tests for my heart, and when do I need them? How do symptoms and treatments differ among men, women, and children?
Backed by decades of clinical experience and up-to-the-minute research, yet written in the accessible, down-to-earth tone of your trusted family doctor, Heart 411 cuts through the confusion to give you the knowledge and tools you need to live a long and heart-healthy life.
550 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
83 people are currently reading
171 people want to read
About the author
Marc Gillinov
2 books6 followersCleveland Clinic cardiac surgeon Dr. Marc Gillinov is one of the world’s premier heart doctors. With patients ranging from Oscar-winning actor Robin Williams to his barber, Vince, Dr. Gillinov has performed open-heart surgery on more than 5000 people.
A graduate of Yale University (summa cum laude), Dr. Gillinov was first in his class at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He completed his residency training at Johns Hopkins Hospital, after which he joined the nation’s number one heart team at Cleveland Clinic. A sought-after heart surgeon, Dr. Gillinov is also a prolific medical researcher. He has authored or co-authored nearly 300 scientific manuscripts and has delivered hundreds of addresses at major medical meetings.
In an unusual twist for a heart surgeon, Dr. Gillinov’s current efforts focus on trying to help people avoid a trip to his Cleveland Clinic operating room.
In collaboration with Dr. Steven Nissen, Cleveland Clinic’s chief of cardiology, Dr. Gillinov has written Heart 411: The Only Guide To Heart Health You Will Ever Need. Busting myths (fish oil does not lower cholesterol) and revealing surprising truths (90 percent of coronary heart disease is preventable if you know the secrets), Dr. Gillinov is on a mission to empower Americans to free themselves from their greatest health threat.
A skilled communicator, Dr. Gillinov is often called upon to provide expert commentary on heart disease for major media outlets. Every day he speaks with patients one-on-one, listening to their concerns and answering their questions. After learning about their hearts from Dr. Gillinov, patients invariably comment, “Now I understand. Nobody ever explained it to me like that before.”
With Heart 411, Dr. Gillinov takes his message of heart health to a broader audience. He has been featured in USA Today, The Tavis Smiley Show and many other national forums. His message is meaningful, entertaining, memorable and life-saving.
Topics include:
Food for the heart: The real best diet for heart health and the truth about fad diets that promise to melt away artery-blocking plaque
The mysteries of Venus: Understanding the hearts of women
Vitamins and supplements for the heart: Trick or treatment?
The medical tests you need and those to avoid
Emotion, stress and heart health: You can be scared to death
Coronary heart disease: The risk factors you know and those that you don’t
A graduate of Yale University (summa cum laude), Dr. Gillinov was first in his class at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He completed his residency training at Johns Hopkins Hospital, after which he joined the nation’s number one heart team at Cleveland Clinic. A sought-after heart surgeon, Dr. Gillinov is also a prolific medical researcher. He has authored or co-authored nearly 300 scientific manuscripts and has delivered hundreds of addresses at major medical meetings.
In an unusual twist for a heart surgeon, Dr. Gillinov’s current efforts focus on trying to help people avoid a trip to his Cleveland Clinic operating room.
In collaboration with Dr. Steven Nissen, Cleveland Clinic’s chief of cardiology, Dr. Gillinov has written Heart 411: The Only Guide To Heart Health You Will Ever Need. Busting myths (fish oil does not lower cholesterol) and revealing surprising truths (90 percent of coronary heart disease is preventable if you know the secrets), Dr. Gillinov is on a mission to empower Americans to free themselves from their greatest health threat.
A skilled communicator, Dr. Gillinov is often called upon to provide expert commentary on heart disease for major media outlets. Every day he speaks with patients one-on-one, listening to their concerns and answering their questions. After learning about their hearts from Dr. Gillinov, patients invariably comment, “Now I understand. Nobody ever explained it to me like that before.”
With Heart 411, Dr. Gillinov takes his message of heart health to a broader audience. He has been featured in USA Today, The Tavis Smiley Show and many other national forums. His message is meaningful, entertaining, memorable and life-saving.
Topics include:
Food for the heart: The real best diet for heart health and the truth about fad diets that promise to melt away artery-blocking plaque
The mysteries of Venus: Understanding the hearts of women
Vitamins and supplements for the heart: Trick or treatment?
The medical tests you need and those to avoid
Emotion, stress and heart health: You can be scared to death
Coronary heart disease: The risk factors you know and those that you don’t
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
May 13, 2012
Very informative book about taking care of your cardio health. Written in an easy to read style. Covers everything you need to know to take care of your heart. I learned quite a bit from this book and am recommending it to everyone. One interesting part of the book includes the exact medical history of Jim Fixx, the famous runner. So now there is no excuse not to run!
October 22, 2023
Comprehensive. Sound advice for all. Probably a useful reference if one gets heart issues.
August 22, 2018
Read this because I have been having heart issues and it has everything you will ever need to know about your heart. The book is filled with really great information to help you out and to make you and your heart healthier.
February 16, 2016
Everyone should read and/or own this one. My cardiologist looked it over at my last appointment and wants it for himself and will recommend it to others. Learned a great deal.
February 27, 2024
This book is just as old as the last heart book I reviewed a this month from the Mayo Clinic but this one is a lot more outdated for some reason. I hope they remake this book as it has a lot of information but it’s out of date. It would be a 4 star book at least if this was 2012 but now it’s a 3 star book. Specifically it gave me bad advice.
This book says when you are on the medications that normally say do not eat or drink grapefruit that you can have a little bit just not too much. My pharmacist says absolutely NONE as it interacts with your medicine.
However if you read it with a grain of salt it’s better than nothing. It just needs to be updated and fact checked. It went more in depth than the Mayo book and I especially enjoyed the sections on the different heart tests.
I would read it from the library but I do not recommend buying it.
This book says when you are on the medications that normally say do not eat or drink grapefruit that you can have a little bit just not too much. My pharmacist says absolutely NONE as it interacts with your medicine.
However if you read it with a grain of salt it’s better than nothing. It just needs to be updated and fact checked. It went more in depth than the Mayo book and I especially enjoyed the sections on the different heart tests.
I would read it from the library but I do not recommend buying it.
September 6, 2025
Even though this was published about 10 years ago the information is very relevant to those with just a basic understanding of heart disease and the various aspects of prevention, treatments, risk factors, etc. It has broaden my mind in terms of my aging siblings and their health care.
January 5, 2020
Extremely informative and useful. Well-written. Clear. I would recommend.
September 5, 2020
Ridiculously Lengthy
Ridiculously long, more information than I wanted, but very informative and authoritative. Probably the best book you could read about heart health.
Ridiculously long, more information than I wanted, but very informative and authoritative. Probably the best book you could read about heart health.
August 29, 2025
Finish this book in less than 10 days. It is written so fun that it actually is a page turner. I also learn a lot about heart disease as well as all the myths.
December 4, 2025
Really good info but needs an update.
November 14, 2022
As a newly diagnosed heart patient I found this book to be an excellent source of information.
January 31, 2015
As a medical writer, I have an enormous amount of empathy for anyone attempting online research to identify reliable, science-based information about medical issues and accurate data about nutrition, exercise, and other preventative healthcare measures. The internet is a rich source of information, but there's no concise reliable source, and much of the advice that surfaces is misinformed or downright wrong. Sorting the wheat from the chaff is no easy task.
That online maze is what makes Heart 411 such an invaluable resource. Written by two renowned medical experts in cardiology, heart surgeon Marc Gillinov and cardiologist Steven Nissen, this book is a comprehensive resource that answers questions about medical heart issues and general health with information that is backed by gold-standard medical research. Do you want to know which of the proliferation of diets out there has been shown to be the best for heart health? Do you want to compare the outcome of stent procedures to medications? Is red wine really good for your heart? Are you wondering if you need a fish oil supplement? Do you want to understand just what those numbers in your blood pressure reading mean? Do you want to know what you can do to affect your cholesterol? You'll find the answers here, presented in a friendly tone and a well-organized format that makes it easy to locate specific information.
I have purchased multiple copies of this book for family and friends—I think everyone would benefit by having a copy of Heart 411 on the bookshelf. Whether you are managing a heart condition, or simply want to take the best preventative measures to protect your good health, Heart 411 presents the knowledge you need, backed by decades of clinical experience and current research. Here's to your good health!
That online maze is what makes Heart 411 such an invaluable resource. Written by two renowned medical experts in cardiology, heart surgeon Marc Gillinov and cardiologist Steven Nissen, this book is a comprehensive resource that answers questions about medical heart issues and general health with information that is backed by gold-standard medical research. Do you want to know which of the proliferation of diets out there has been shown to be the best for heart health? Do you want to compare the outcome of stent procedures to medications? Is red wine really good for your heart? Are you wondering if you need a fish oil supplement? Do you want to understand just what those numbers in your blood pressure reading mean? Do you want to know what you can do to affect your cholesterol? You'll find the answers here, presented in a friendly tone and a well-organized format that makes it easy to locate specific information.
I have purchased multiple copies of this book for family and friends—I think everyone would benefit by having a copy of Heart 411 on the bookshelf. Whether you are managing a heart condition, or simply want to take the best preventative measures to protect your good health, Heart 411 presents the knowledge you need, backed by decades of clinical experience and current research. Here's to your good health!
July 27, 2025
I am interested in heart health and on a mission to figure out what I can offer my patients in this subject that would make a meaningful change in their cardiovascular journey. This book is a textbook for me and my online medical practice in many ways. It has all of the mainstream content you need as a person if you are dealing with any heart issues.
For the layperson, I recommend reading the chapters many times and only focusing on those sections that relate to you. There is no need to read about ventricular assist devices if you're not dealing with congestive heart failure.
For the physician, I recommend listening to the audiobook version, and even though it's lengthy and pithy, you'll get a sense of the perspective of 2 seasoned cardiologists. They are genuine and honest about their clinical opinions with very little bias in their writing.
It's not the Esselstyn diet you'll learn about, but you won't be told that everyone and their pets should be on a statin. This must have been a tough book because the data on cardiovascular health is divided and subject to many interpretations. Yet these authors even broke down certain studies which failed to include the right age group of individuals in their cohort.
One powerful section was the advice the authors have for patients newly diagnosed with heart disease. They should have honest conversations with their doctors about what is going on, what medications they are being placed on, and what diet they should follow.
What was desperately missing for me was the clinical pearls. Decades of practice between these 2 physicians failed to share their sixth sense about cardiovascular health. What can you and I do to have drastically better outcomes, and which individuals fair poorly?
For the layperson, I recommend reading the chapters many times and only focusing on those sections that relate to you. There is no need to read about ventricular assist devices if you're not dealing with congestive heart failure.
For the physician, I recommend listening to the audiobook version, and even though it's lengthy and pithy, you'll get a sense of the perspective of 2 seasoned cardiologists. They are genuine and honest about their clinical opinions with very little bias in their writing.
It's not the Esselstyn diet you'll learn about, but you won't be told that everyone and their pets should be on a statin. This must have been a tough book because the data on cardiovascular health is divided and subject to many interpretations. Yet these authors even broke down certain studies which failed to include the right age group of individuals in their cohort.
One powerful section was the advice the authors have for patients newly diagnosed with heart disease. They should have honest conversations with their doctors about what is going on, what medications they are being placed on, and what diet they should follow.
What was desperately missing for me was the clinical pearls. Decades of practice between these 2 physicians failed to share their sixth sense about cardiovascular health. What can you and I do to have drastically better outcomes, and which individuals fair poorly?
October 15, 2016
[-Diabetis 1 -10%
-Hypertension -> stroke.
-Heart attacks in general are more frequent in the morning, in the winter, on Mondays.
-If the patient does not recover after 3-4 months normal functioning after the stroke, most likely can't recover further.
-Alcohol: lowers HDL, reduces blood clotting
-Big six: 1. Statin -lower cholesterol level, 2. Aspirin - prevents blood clots, 3. Clopidogrel - prevents blood clots, 4. Warfarin - prevents blood clots, 5. Beta-blockers - heart attack, to lower blood pressure, 6. ACE blockers - hear failure, to lower blood pressure
-Atrial fibrilation - irregular heartbeat originated in atrium
-Due to female hormones women's arteries are smaller than men's (proven by transgender hormone treatment and heart transplants)
-It is possible that estrogen plays important role in preventing cardiac dysfunctions in women, thus we see less heart attack's in premenopausal women. In men, erectile disjunction (ED => arteries in penis are thinner than coronary arteries) usually precedes development of heart attack by three years. Lower testosterone level in men leads to cardiovascular problems; testosterone allows for dialation of blood vessels.
-Xenotransplantation -first in 1984: baboon's heart to a baby, success, but immune system fought against and baby died.
-Stem cell therapy for the heart
- (3 types of stem cells: embryonic, adult(usually differentiate in the cells of the same tissue where they are found), induced (ex. Skin cells turned stem cells) )
]
-Hypertension -> stroke.
-Heart attacks in general are more frequent in the morning, in the winter, on Mondays.
-If the patient does not recover after 3-4 months normal functioning after the stroke, most likely can't recover further.
-Alcohol: lowers HDL, reduces blood clotting
-Big six: 1. Statin -lower cholesterol level, 2. Aspirin - prevents blood clots, 3. Clopidogrel - prevents blood clots, 4. Warfarin - prevents blood clots, 5. Beta-blockers - heart attack, to lower blood pressure, 6. ACE blockers - hear failure, to lower blood pressure
-Atrial fibrilation - irregular heartbeat originated in atrium
-Due to female hormones women's arteries are smaller than men's (proven by transgender hormone treatment and heart transplants)
-It is possible that estrogen plays important role in preventing cardiac dysfunctions in women, thus we see less heart attack's in premenopausal women. In men, erectile disjunction (ED => arteries in penis are thinner than coronary arteries) usually precedes development of heart attack by three years. Lower testosterone level in men leads to cardiovascular problems; testosterone allows for dialation of blood vessels.
-Xenotransplantation -first in 1984: baboon's heart to a baby, success, but immune system fought against and baby died.
-Stem cell therapy for the heart
- (3 types of stem cells: embryonic, adult(usually differentiate in the cells of the same tissue where they are found), induced (ex. Skin cells turned stem cells) )
]
March 1, 2014
First, let me say that Dr. Gillinov performed heart valve surgery on me. So, I'm kind of partial. But I do consider my self a very honest. The book is a wealth of important information for anyone who has a heart problem, atherosclerosis, etc. or for anyone who wants to live a healthy lifestyle. He debunks some common myths and gives realistic advice about heart health and getting and staying healthy. My husband also read it and loved it and has put Dr. Gillinov's advice into action in his own life. This is an extremely well-written, easy to read book, and I highly recommend it.
July 21, 2014
This is an excellent, comprehensive guide to heart disease. It is easy to read and not too overwhelming but covers everything from surgery to medications to psychosocial issues. Unfortunately, it didn't cover less common events or heart attacks that result from very few risk factors but it was still very helpful.
November 26, 2016
The best guide to heart health I have read
Since being diagnosed with heart disease I have read several books and this is by far the best. Easy to read and understand but very informative with solid information on what to do and why. After reading this book I talked to my cardiologist and devise a plan to improve my risks.
Since being diagnosed with heart disease I have read several books and this is by far the best. Easy to read and understand but very informative with solid information on what to do and why. After reading this book I talked to my cardiologist and devise a plan to improve my risks.
January 23, 2016
Accurate heart information
October 3, 2016
Read this if you have any concerns about heart problems or heart health.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews