10 Heart Myths People Believe In

October 28, 2025

3 min read

Some people believe that if you exercise, avoid fatty foods, and drink red wine your heart will be healthy. Is this true? Let’s look at some of the myths about heart health.

Key takeaways

Some people believe that if you exercise, avoid fatty foods, and drink red wine your heart will be healthy.
Myth 1. A healthy lifestyle is a panacea for heart disease
Myth 2. Sleeping on the body’s left side is bad for the heart

Who this is for

People exploring Cardiovascular health through heart, alcohol.

Why it matters

This piece helps you get oriented quickly, then move into a collection or series if you want to keep going.

Article author

Dr. Valery

Cardiologist, head of the medical department of the consultative and diagnostic center

Myth 1. A healthy lifestyle is a panacea for heart disease

Yes, a healthy lifestyle, exercise, and proper nutrition are beneficial. But it’s not guaranteed to help heart health. The risk of heart failure is influenced by many uncontrollable factors: age, gender (men have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease than women), and heredity. A lot depends on our lifestyle, but not everything.

Myth 2. Sleeping on the body’s left side is bad for the heart

The position of the body during sleep does not affect the work of the heart, even in those people who have heart issues. The only difference is that when you sleep on your left side, you feel the pounding of your heart, whereas on your right side you don't.

Myth 3. You need to take special medications for heart health

There are no special preparations for improving the heart. The heart supports itself perfectly. Pharmaceutical companies profit from this misconception.

Myth 4. Wine protects against heart ailments

Research shows that drinking a glass of red wine a day is beneficial to the cardiovascular system thanks to antioxidants called polyphenols. But to what extent alcohol will benefit you is still an open question. It is easy to overdo it—in which case alcohol can harm the heart and blood vessels. Keep in mind that grape juice and green tea are rich in polyphenols.

Myth 5. Only the elderly have heart pain

Unfortunately, cardiovascular diseases are getting younger—people under 40 and even younger are increasingly affected. At-risk are those with excess weight, bad habits, and a hereditary predisposition to atherosclerosis, cardiomyopathies, arrhythmias, and hypertension.

Myth 6."Weak-hearted" should not play sports

Many believe that you should take care of yourself in case of heart disease. Keep in mind that in most cases, a sedentary lifestyle is dangerous. We are not talking about extreme loads, but it is worth increasing physical activity upon doctor consultation. Most likely, the doctor will recommend walking, swimming, or doing gymnastics. There are very few people for whom any physical activity is contraindicated.

Myth 7. The heart hurts on the left

It is believed that the heart is located on the left side of the chest because that’s where we feel the heartbeat, which means that "heart" pain should be localized there. In reality, the heart is located in the central part of the chest, and its apex is directed to the left, down, and forward. The left side is not where you feel the heartache but in the center behind the breastbone. You can also feel it in the left hand, under the left shoulder blade, in the lower jaw, and the stomach area in the upper abdomen with posterior myocardial infarction.

Myth 8. Fats are dangerous for the heart

People who consume margarine, butter, lard, and fatty foods are twice as likely to develop cardiovascular diseases as those who prefer vegetable oils. Polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are found in northern fish (salmon, trout, halibut), cod liver, and avocado, are very useful. They improve lipid metabolism and reduce the risk of atherosclerosis.

Myth 9. If it hurts, then it's the heart

As a general rule, stabbing pains in the heart area are caused by neuroses, neuralgia, or osteochondrosis. However, in about 15% of cases, the cause of stabbing pains can be myocarditis, angina pectoris, or arrhythmia.

Myth 10. You can’t defeat heredity

Many cardiovascular diseases can be prevented by changing lifestyle or early drug therapy. Rejection of bad habits, fitness, normal weight, good sleep, and proper nutrition all significantly reduce the risk of heart problems.

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