Even though heart attacks occur frequently, and are a really painful experience, they can, in fact, be prevented. We all know that our lifestyle and diet play a great role in our overall health, but you surely haven’t been aware of the extent to which you can help yourself.
The Sweden’s Karolinska Institute conducted a study which observed 20,721 healthy Swedish men, ages 45 to 79, for 11 years. The study, published in Journal of the American College of Cardiology, noted that men could reduce their heart attack risk by 80 percent if they made five lifestyle changes. “I believe these also apply to women and Americans,” said said Nancy K. Sweitzer MD, PhD, director of the University of Arizona Sarver Heart Center and professor of medicine, UArizona College of Medicine – Tucson.
Here’s how these changes stack up:
– 36 percent risk reduction attributed to not smoking.
– 18 percent reduction for eating a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, reduced-fat dairy products, whole grains and fish.
– 12 percent reduction for maintaining a waistline of 37 inches or less (for men). (For women, this waistline circumference would be about 35 inches or less, said Dr. Sweitzer.)
– 11 percent reduction for drinking fewer than two alcoholic drinks per day. (Probably one drink per day for women.)
– 3 percent reduction for moderate daily and weekly exercise routines.
– 1 percent – the percentage of study participants who exhibited all five of the healthy habits.
Why don’t more people follow all five of these lifestyle choices? “It can be overwhelming if people feel they need to make all of these changes at once,” said Dr. Sweitzer. “Everyone could look at where they can make the biggest impact on their risk reduction and start with one small change.” The biggest potential impact, if you smoke, stop!
Source: heart.arizona.edu
