NIH Backs Leading Cardiologist's Work on Women's Heart Health

Summary

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Bloomberg Businessweek – “NIH Backs Leading Cardiologist's Work on Women's Heart Health”

Date: December 5, 2025
Hosts: Carol Massar & Tim Stenovec
Guest: Dr. Nupur Narula, Director, Women’s Heart Program at Weill Cornell Medicine

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Carol Massar and Tim Stenovec focus on the often-overlooked issue of women’s heart health, centered around heart disease—the leading cause of death for women in the United States. Their guest is Dr. Nupur Narula, a prominent cardiologist recently awarded NIH funding for her groundbreaking research on aortic aneurysms and the importance of proactive diagnostics, particularly in women and pregnant patients.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Heart Disease: Prevalence and Misconceptions

• Heart disease remains the leading cause of death for both men and women in the U.S.
  • Over 60 million women (44% of U.S. women) are living with some form of heart disease ([02:07]).
  • Quote:
    • "It can affect women at any age... not just an over-60 or over-70 situation.” — Tim Stenovec ([02:07])
  • There's a misconception that heart disease primarily affects older populations.

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2. Understanding the Aorta and Aneurysms

• Aorta as a distinct organ: In 2024, the aorta was officially recognized as an organ due to its centrality in human physiology ([03:38]).

• Aorta’s Function:

  • It's the largest artery, moving blood from the heart throughout the body.
  • Analogy:
    • “It’s actually shaped like a candy cane.” — Dr. Narula ([03:38])

• Aortic aneurysm:

  • A dilation or bulging of the aortic wall; dangerous as it can tear or burst unpredictably.
  • Not the same as a brain aneurysm, but individuals can have both ([03:38]).

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3. New NIH-Funded Research on Aortic Aneurysms

• Study Focus:

  • Using advanced imaging and genetics to monitor individuals with aortic conditions, especially post-surgery ([04:41]).
  • Emphasis on prevention:
    • “We want to be proactive rather than reactive.” — Dr. Narula ([04:41])

• Catastrophic Risk:

  • Aneurysms may have no symptoms until an emergency occurs:
    • “You may not know that you have one until something catastrophic occurs.” — Dr. Narula ([05:33])
  • Improved provider awareness and routine imaging is aiding early detection.

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4. Barriers to Prevention and the Role of Family History

• Preventative Scanning:

  • Other countries (like Korea) scan patients head-to-toe annually, which hosts praise as preventive but acknowledge is rare in the U.S. due to cost ([06:13]-[06:27]).
  • More frequent scanning in the U.S. is cost-prohibitive and may lead to over-testing.

• Accessible Prevention:

  • Family history is an invaluable, no-cost tool:
    • "Taking [family histories] from our family is free... Did anybody die suddenly in the family?... Was an autopsy done?" — Dr. Narula ([06:35])
  • Research participation, especially among women, is critical:
    • "Women's involvement in studies is really, really important." — Dr. Narula ([07:10])

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5. Focus on Pregnant Women and Heart Health

• Pregnancy as a Risk Factor:

  • Physiological changes during pregnancy (blood pressure, heart rate, hormones) can place women with underlying aortic conditions at higher risk ([07:50]-[08:33]).
  • Advice:
    • "Understanding their condition, instituting appropriate surveillance... allows us to take women through pregnancy safely." — Dr. Narula ([08:20])

• Proactive Guidance:

  • "Know your numbers. Really know your numbers... and know your family history." — Dr. Narula ([08:40])

• Clarification:

  • Pregnancy does not cause an aneurysm, but can worsen an existing one ([09:02]).

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6. Heart Attack Symptoms Can Be Subtle

• Heart attack symptoms, particularly in women, aren’t always “classic.”
  • Erratic blood pressure may be a signal, but context matters:
    • "There can be atypical symptoms, not the classic symptoms that we see. And so, I think if anything feels unusual, bring that to your provider." — Dr. Narula ([09:35])

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Notable Quotes

• On Awareness & Age:
  "It can affect women at any age...not just over-60 or over-70." — Tim Stenovec ([02:07])

• On the Aorta:
  "The aorta… [is] shaped like a candy cane… critical for our sustenance." — Dr. Narula ([03:38])

• On Family History:
  "Taking [family histories] from our family is free." — Dr. Narula ([06:35])

• On Research Participation:
  "Women's involvement in studies is really, really important." — Dr. Narula ([07:10])

• On Pregnancy and Heart Risk:
  "Pregnancy is a very delicate time in our lives...these women are in a more vulnerable state." — Dr. Narula ([07:50])

• On Physician Engagement:
  "If anything feels unusual, bring that to your provider." — Dr. Narula ([09:35])

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Timestamps of Key Segments

• [01:59] — Heart disease as the leading cause of death for women.
• [03:38] — Explanation of the aorta and aortic aneurysms.
• [04:41] — NIH-funded research into imaging, genetics, and preventing aortic complications.
• [05:33] — Asymptomatic nature of aneurysms and catastrophic risk.
• [06:13] - [06:27] — Costs and accessibility of preventative scanning in the U.S. vs. other countries.
• [07:15] - [07:42] — Importance of research participation and sex-specific data.
• [07:50] - [08:33] — Risks for pregnant women and the importance of surveillance.
• [08:40] — Advice to pregnant women: “know your numbers.”
• [09:35] — Subtlety of heart attack and aneurysm symptoms; importance of self-advocacy.

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Conclusion

This episode spotlights the significance of heart health in women, the need for early and proactive intervention, the value of understanding family medical histories, and the importance of women’s participation in research. Dr. Narula advocates for knowing personal health data and consulting physicians promptly if anything feels off. Her NIH-backed research and focus on women—especially during pregnancy—promise to advance understanding and care for aortic disease and heart conditions in women moving forward.

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Transcript

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Bloomberg Audio Studios Podcasts Radio news.

[Podcast Host]

You're listening to Bloomberg Business Week with Carol Massar and Tim Stenovec on Bloomberg Radio.

[Alexis]

The cdc, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reminding us that the leading cause of death for women, Alexis in the United States, heart disease.

[Tim Stenovec]

Yeah, it continues to be consistently so. Over 60 million women, that is 44%, in case you want to know, in the US living with some form of heart disease and it might surprise you that it can affect women at any age. She doesn't not like an over 60 over 70 situation. We should note heart disease is also the leading cause of death of men in the U.S. all right, so it.

[Alexis]

Is a focus for everyone who is in medicine. And it brings us to our Bloomberg businessweek Women's Health segment. We focus on key issues and developing technologies impacting the present and future of women's health around the world. And we touch on kind of everybody in terms of health often. Joining us right now is Dr. Nupur Narula. She is director of the Women's Heart Program at Weill Cornell Medicine. She joins us here in Studio. Welcome, welcome. Nice to have you here.

[Dr. Nupur Narula]

It's wonderful to be here. Thank you.

[Alexis]

I want to ask you, first of all, as Alexis and I just pointed that when it comes to heart disease, whether it's men or women, it's such a big problem here in the US the number one killer and cause of death for both men and women. What is it?

[Adobe/Bloomberg Announcer]

Our diet?

[Alexis]

Lack of exercise? All of the above?

[Tim Stenovec]

What?

[Dr. Nupur Narula]

Absolutely. And you have to think about other things as well. You know, you pointed out really nicely that young individuals can also be affected. And I think it goes to show that we really need to know a lot of things about our health. We really need to know our numbers, we need to know what our blood pressure is early. We need to know what our cholesterol is. We need to know what our blood sugar is. And certainly young people may have other genetic. Genetic conditions, and it's important to know what those genetic conditions are.

[Tim Stenovec]

So you're focusing on something called an aorta aneurysm. I've heard of brain aneurysms. What is an aorta aneurysm?

[Dr. Nupur Narula]

It's a great question. You know, the aorta, very recently, just in 2024, was. It's identified as its own organ, and very rightly and deservedly so. So it's the largest artery of our body. It attaches to the heart. It's actually shaped like a candy cane, and it takes blood, blood that's pumped from the heart, and it actually transfers it all the way to all the organs of our body. The head, the neck, the heart itself, the liver, the int, the spleen, the kidney, the leg. So it's critical for our sustenance. So much so that there are physicians such as myself, cardiologists, surgeons, really dedicate their lives and caring for individuals who have problems with the aorta. And one of those problems is an aneurysm. And an aneurysm is essentially a dilation or bulging of that aortic wall. And so it's a little bit distinct from brain aneurysm in terms of its location. But there are individuals with aortic aneurysms that can have brain aneurysms and vice versa.

[Alexis]

So you've got actually an NIH funded study that you are doing.

[Amazon Reviewer (Eva Longoria)]

Tell us a little bit about that.

[Alexis]

Yeah, and nice to hear that you are getting money and continue to get funding. Yes, nih, thank you.

[Dr. Nupur Narula]

We actually recently got it. So I'm very, very grateful for such a milestone. You know, when individuals have aneurysms, once they really increase in size, dangerous complications can occur. And what do I mean by that? You know, you think of a balloon as it gets bigger and bigger. A balloon can burst the aorta as it gets bigger and bigger, you can have a tear in the aorta. So now we have life saving procedures, aortic surger, that can be pursued to prevent these complications that occur. I think it goes with the theme we want to be proactive rather than reactive. And so what our grant looks at is it combines imaging, advanced imaging and genetics to really figure out how individuals with aortic conditions do through time, especially those who've had that aortic surgery.

[Tim Stenovec]

So I mean, I'm just hearing about this for the first time. Aorta aneurysm. Are there symptoms? Is it the kind of situation where you don't know it until it happens? Because I know some of the brain aneurysms can happen in a snap.

[Dr. Nupur Narula]

Yeah, absolutely. Yes, it is. I mean you can have large aortic aneurysms and you may not know that you have one until something catastrophic occurs. I think there is a positive outlook on aspects of this now. Provider awareness is going up. Now we're doing imaging for unrelated reasons. People are getting scans for prevention based readings. Now we're taking very intricate family histories. Yeah, you were going to say something.

[Alexis]

We're talking with Dr. Nupur Narula. She is director of the women's heart program at Weill Cornell Medicine. It was so funny.

[Adobe/Bloomberg Announcer]

I was.

[Alexis]

I'm trying to think who did a story, whether it was the times, whether it was us, but it was just this idea. If you go to. Is it Korea? You get sc. You can get scanned head to toe every year.

[Tim Stenovec]

What a brilliant idea. I don't know if our insurance companies would like that very much.

[Alexis]

And it's a lot less expensive. But it's such a great preventative. Yes.

[Tim Stenovec]

Kind of way to go about it.

[Alexis]

And of like any kind of early problems that are out there.

[Adobe/Bloomberg Announcer]

Why aren't we doing it?

[Alexis]

Is it just because it's so expensive.

[Dr. Nupur Narula]

Here in the US it's expensive. And so I think that there's.

[Alexis]

Why is it so expensive? Because if we were all getting it the frequenc.

[TV Show Promo Announcer]

I don't know.

[Dr. Nupur Narula]

It's a really good question. I think the more we scan, the more we find. You can find things that may not matter, but we'll go down roads of testing. Right. So I think that it goes to highlight a couple things. Family histories. Taking them from our family is free. Right. Ask your family, have they had any sort of issues with the aorta? Has the aortic size been measured? Have they had any sort of prevention test? Did the aortic size come up in that test? Did anybody die suddenly in the family? If they did, was an autopsy done? You know, you can ask several questions to figure out what the cause, the passing was. So these are ways to screen. And then I always say participate in research studies if you have the ability to do so, because I think involvement in studies and women's involvement in studies is really, really important.

[Tim Stenovec]

That's a really good point. And you know, sometimes you go to the doctor, I've been asked, would you like to participate? I think the first instinct is no, no, no, no, thank you. But it really can help science overall in general for years to come.

[Dr. Nupur Narula]

Absolutely. And the more science we do, the more sex specific college.

[Alexis]

But that's because I got paid.

[Dr. Nupur Narula]

And some studies will still pay, actually, you know, depending on what you do. But I think participating in this allows us to also come up with sex specific differences that have impact on behavior.

[Alexis]

Well, let's go. Yeah, let's go another layer down because you specifically are focusing too on pregnant women.

[Dr. Nupur Narula]

Yes.

[Alexis]

Why?

[Dr. Nupur Narula]

So I think pregnancy is a very delicate time in our lives, right? There's several changes that happen. Your heart rate changes, it goes up, the blood pressure goes down initially, but in the later stages of pregnancy, your blood pressure rises, including after pregnancy, the cardiac output, the pump, the efficiency of our heart goes up because we're supplying blood to ourself, but also the placenta. And then you have all the hormonal changes that occur. Estrogen, progesterone, and these can actually change the microstructure of the wall. So if you think of women who already have underlying aneurysms, and then you add in all of these changes, these women are in a more vulnerable state. So I think understanding what they have, their condition, instituting appropriate surveillance and thereby appropriate management allows us to take women through pregnancy safely.

[Tim Stenovec]

Your advice? Maybe a pregnant woman hearing this or someone who has a pregnant person in their life and they want to be proactive, what's your advice to them?

[Dr. Nupur Narula]

Know your numbers. Really? Know your numbers. Know all of your numbers. We very rightly talk about blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar. You should also know if you've had a scan, what is the aortic size, and also know your family history. Two big things to take away. We always need to be proactive rather than reactive in as many ways as we can.

[Alexis]

Is it more likely for a pregnant woman to have an aortic aneurysm so.

[Dr. Nupur Narula]

It'S not that the pregnancy will cause the aneurysm. It's that a woman may have an aneurysm. And during pregnancy, it is possible that that aneurysm may grow a little bit in size.

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Okay.

[Tim Stenovec]

I also, before we let you go, I was reading an article recently in the Times about the signs of a heart attack. And they're not always the outward, oh, I'm holding my chest, you know, shortness of breath. And there was one doctor who did some research in India who was saying, you know, it could, if you look at blood pressure through the years, if your blood pressure seems to oscillate a lot, that could be a signal. Is that true?

[Dr. Nupur Narula]

You know, I mean, I think, listen, I think anybody can have any sort of manifestation, right? So when you even think about blood pressure, in what environment are we measuring our blood pressure? Is it at home? Is it in the doctor's office? So certainly, you know, there are changes in blood pressure, changes in heart rate, and then there are symptoms. But there can be atypical symptoms, not the classic symptoms that we see. And so I think if anything feels unusual, bring that to your provider. That's your time to talk about it.

[Alexis]

You know your body the best. Like if something's going right. I have a feeling we're just sending a ton of people to doctors and taking and getting, getting their measurements. Doctor, thank you so much. Really appreciate it.

[Dr. Nupur Narula]

Thanks for having me.

[Alexis]

Enjoyed it. Dr. Nupur Narula. She's director of the women's heart program at Weill Cornell Medicine right here in Studio.

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