Heart health is a topic that gains more attention as we age. However, it’s not often a primary concern for middle-aged individuals, particularly women. A 40-year-old mother who recently suffered a “widowmaker” heart attack is now advocating for awareness of the unexpected symptoms she experienced prior to her cardiac event. This article aims to highlight these warning signs to promote safety and early detection.

“Widowmaker” heart attacks are severe medical emergencies, named for their high fatality rate. They occur when the left anterior descending (LAD) artery, which supplies half of the heart’s blood, becomes completely blocked due to cholesterol buildup, as explained by the Cleveland Clinic. This blockage deprives the heart muscles of blood, leading to their death.

“The ‘widowmaker’ is a lay term for a particular type of heart attack,” said Gary Niess, MD, an interventional cardiologist with Novant Health Heart & Vascular Institute. “Any artery closure can cause a heart attack where the heart muscle dies, but the widowmaker has a higher rate of mortality.”

Heart attacks are distressingly common, with over 800,000 people in the U.S. experiencing them each year. This equates to approximately one heart attack every 40 seconds. Heart attacks remain the leading cause of death for both men and women in the U.S.

The Cleveland Clinic states that the risk of heart attacks increases for men and people assigned male at birth (AMAB) starting at age 45, and for women and people assigned female at birth (AFAB) at age 50. However, heart attacks can occur at any age, as demonstrated by a 40-year-old woman named Jessica Charron.

In 2022, Charron began to feel unusual symptoms, including a tingling sensation that traveled down her neck to her back and arms, accompanied by chills. Initially, she attributed these symptoms to spending too much time outside on a hot day. However, as the symptoms intensified and came in waves, she realized something more serious might be happening.

“I just knew something was wrong,” she told Today. “I felt like this is just not a normal chill—not even a flu-like chill. It was different. It was more intense.”

Despite initial tests at the hospital not revealing any issues, Charron insisted something was wrong. Eventually, doctors discovered she was experiencing a “widowmaker” heart attack, with an 85 percent blockage in her LAD.

“I was absolutely shocked,” Charron told Today. “There was nothing leading up to that which would have indicated that I would be a candidate for a heart attack.”

Charron underwent surgery to place a stent in her artery and later had a triple bypass to address two other blockages. She now emphasizes the importance of awareness of heart disease risks, especially for women and AFAB individuals.

“I was young. I was healthy,” she told Today. “The biggest lesson learned for me is that heart disease doesn’t really discriminate.”

Laura Mauri, MD, chief scientific, medical, and regulatory officer at Medtronic, listed chest pain or pressure, shortness of breath, excessive sweating, and pain in the neck, arm, or back as common warning signs of a heart attack. However, symptoms can vary between individuals and genders. Quick action is crucial in surviving a heart attack.

“When you’re in an ambulance, getting early treatment actually saves lives,” Mauri told Today. “The good news is that in many cases, if a heart attack is detected early, the treatment can be pretty quick and not lead to a long hospitalization and lead to a full recovery. It’s not uncommon that people recovering from a heart attack go back to living even healthier lifestyles than they did before the heart attack.”

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Supplements are often seen as a beneficial addition to a healthy lifestyle, providing those necessary vitamins and minerals that might be missing from our diets. However, it’s important to remember that not all supplements are created equal. Some can even pose a risk to our vital organs, including the liver.

The liver plays a crucial role in detoxifying the body, as Alyssa Smolen, MS, RDN, a New Jersey-based registered dietician, explains. “Your liver naturally detoxifies the body. That’s its primary job,” she says. “However, too much of certain substances can harm the body’s ability to do this—including specific supplements that can interfere with this process.”

Given this, medical professionals emphasize the importance of monitoring what we consume and reducing or eliminating anything that could be harmful. Here are five supplements that could potentially damage your liver, as per doctors’ advice.

Green tea, while a popular beverage, can also be found in extract form as a supplement. However, Leann Poston, MD, a licensed physician and health expert for Invigor Medical, warns that it can cause liver injury in some individuals. “Unfortunately, it is currently unknown why it causes liver damage in some people and not others,” she reveals.

Sarah Alsing, MS, RD, owner of Delightfully Fueled, further cautions that green tea extract is often an ingredient in diet pills. “If you are looking into supplements advertised for weight loss, then make sure you read the label to see if it’s an ingredient,” she advises.

Black cohosh, a traditional herbal remedy often used to treat menopause symptoms, has also been linked to liver injury. “There have been case reports that link the herbal supplement black cohosh to liver injury,” says Nesochi Okeke-Igbokwe, MD, medical expert and CEO of Dr. Nesochi internal medicine practice. “However, more studies are needed to further investigate the use of this supplement with potential hepatotoxicity.”

Niacin, or vitamin B3, is essential for the body to convert food into energy, produce stress-related hormones, and improve circulation, according to Alsing. “It also aids with cholesterol control,” she adds. However, she warns that “high doses of niacin can damage the liver and affect coagulation, which is the body’s way of preventing excessive bleeding.”

Ground kava root, traditionally used in the Polynesian islands as a relaxation aid, can also be harmful to the liver when consumed in high amounts. “Just like alcohol, it can be harmful to the liver when consumed in high amounts,” warns Danielle Arnold, MS, LDN, clinical support specialist at Designs for Health. “In fact, some tradition states that kava was originally chewed and spit out because enzymes in the spit deactivate some of the liver-toxic compounds it contains.”

Finally, Vitamin A, while essential for vision and immunity, can cause liver damage when taken in excessive amounts. “Vitamin A doses that fall within the recommended daily allowance (RDA) are not associated with liver injury,” says Poston. “However, doses more than 100 times the RDA can cause acute liver injury. Excessive vitamin A can damage specialized liver cells, causing liver scarring and injury.”

While this information is based on expert advice and research, it’s always best to consult with your healthcare provider directly regarding any concerns about your medication or health.

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Sleep disturbances are a common issue among adults, with approximately 30 percent experiencing symptoms of insomnia and 13.5 percent feeling fatigued most days, according to the National Council on Aging. To combat these issues, many individuals turn to sleep aids, including melatonin supplements. Melatonin is a hormone that naturally increases in your brain when it’s dark and decreases when it’s light. While the body typically produces enough melatonin, supplements are available to aid sleep and have been deemed “safe for short-term use”. However, experts are now raising concerns about “serious risks” associated with melatonin supplements.

The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) recently approved “two new sets of voluntary guidelines” for melatonin-containing dietary supplements and gummy dietary supplements. These guidelines, which pertain to labeling and packaging, come in response to a rise in accidental ingestion of melatonin by children. A recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed that about 7 percent of emergency room visits related to “unsupervised medication ingestions” among children were linked to melatonin between 2019 and 2022.

Gummy formulations were the most frequently ingested, accounting for 47.3 percent of cases. While few of these incidents resulted in hospitalization, concerns remain. A study conducted in April 2023 found that some over-the-counter melatonin supplements contain higher levels of the hormone than advertised, while another contained cannabidiol (CBD) instead of melatonin.

Pieter Cohen, MD, an associate professor of medicine at the Cambridge Health Alliance in Somerville, Massachusetts, and lead author of the study, spoke with CNN about the new CRN guidelines. He noted that these warnings are a positive step, stating, “What’s significant here is that the industry recognizes that melatonin supplements do pose serious risks—particularly to children—and that the industry needs to do a much better job at ensuring the products are safe and well-manufactured.”

However, Cohen also highlighted that these guidelines are “voluntary,” meaning manufacturers can choose whether or not to adopt them. The CRN is urging manufacturers of melatonin-containing supplements to implement changes within 18 months, and manufacturers of gummy supplements to do so within 24 months. Cohen expressed uncertainty about whether these voluntary recommendations will be followed, stating, “Whether this voluntary recommendation will be followed, is another matter entirely, and we’ll need to see.”

The updated melatonin guidelines from the CRN “provide recommendations addressing intentional overages during manufacturing, child-deterrent packaging, and precautionary label statements for melatonin-containing products,” ensuring that products are “responsibly formulated, labeled and packaged.”

The CDC report highlighted that melatonin products are not required to have child-resistant packaging. However, in about 75 percent of emergency room visits where the type of container was documented, children accessed melatonin from bottles, suggesting that the bottles may have been easy to open or not properly closed.

The CRN’s new recommendations for gummy supplements, which have become increasingly popular, apply to all gummies, including those containing melatonin. The CRN is asking manufacturers to focus on “labeling clarity, reducing unsupervised access by children, addressing potential choking hazards for small children, and ensuring products are used as intended.”

CRN President and CEO Steve Mister emphasized the organization’s commitment to consumer well-being and market integrity, stating, “By setting these high standards, we help our members offer products that are responsibly manufactured and marketed, and widely trusted by consumers.”

As always, it’s important to consult your healthcare provider directly with any questions or concerns about the medication you’re taking.

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