A landmark Stanford study found that heart attack deaths in the US have plummeted by nearly 90% over five decades, and heart disease-related deaths overall have fallen 66%. Researchers called it a "medical miracle" driven by advances in science, medicine, and public health.
Heart disease impacts millions of people every year in the United States, but a landmark Stanford study published in 2025 delivered some encouraging news: deaths from heart attacks have decreased by nearly 90% since 1970, and heart disease-related deaths overall have plummeted by 66% over the same period. Heart attacks are no longer the leading cause of mortality in the country.
Using data on adults aged 25 and older from the National Vital Statistics System, researchers examined how causes of death have changed over five decades. They found that coronary artery disease mortality declined by 81%. "Overall, there's been significant progress with every decade," said lead author Sara King in a news release.
“Heart attacks are no longer the leading cause of mortality in the country.”
Senior author Latha Palaniappan, a Stanford professor of medicine, described the findings as a "medical miracle," crediting the dramatic improvement to "the synergistic power of science, medicine, and public health." The reduction reflects decades of progress in multiple areas: better emergency care and faster response times, improved surgical techniques including stents and bypass surgery, breakthrough medications like statins and blood thinners, widespread public health campaigns promoting exercise and smoking cessation, and improved diagnostic tools that catch problems earlier.
However, the researchers noted an important nuance: while acute heart attack deaths have fallen dramatically, more Americans now die from chronic heart disease. This is partly because people are surviving heart attacks that would have been fatal decades ago, but then living with ongoing heart conditions. "We have so many tools in our toolbox now, but still, there's a lot more that can be developed and improved," said King. "I hope the numbers just keep getting better."
The study serves as a powerful reminder that sustained investment in medical research, public health education, and healthcare infrastructure produces real, measurable results. It offers hope that similar progress can be achieved for other major health challenges — from cancer to neurodegenerative diseases — with the same combination of scientific innovation, medical dedication, and public awareness that has transformed heart disease outcomes over the past half-century.
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