Worldwide, heart disease and strokes are the leading causes of death. They’re also the leading killers of Americans, accounting for one out of every three deaths in the United States. But there’s good news, too.
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| Credit:healthcub.info |
About 80 percent of all cases of cardiovascular disease are preventable. You can lower your risk markedly by making some changes to your lifestyle including doing some things that are easy, simple and even enjoyable. (Two of our favorites? Drink red wine and get a dog.) Here’s what you need to know about heart health, along with some of the best ways to improve and protect yours.
Take Control
Good news. There are many things that you can do to lower your heart disease risk.
In 2010, a committee of experts with the American Heart Association came up with a strategic plan to reduce cardiovascular disease in the United States. The committee pored over the scientific literature and identified seven of the most important behaviors people can follow to protect their cardiovascular health.
- Exercise
- Eat right
- Lower blood pressure
- Lower your cholesterol
- Know your blood sugar
- Maintain a healthy weight
- Don’t smoke
“What accrues to people who maintain that package of seven things at more optimal levels is really quite amazing – it’s sort of like the fountain of youth,” said Dr. Donald Lloyd-Jones, a cardiologist at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and the chairman of the heart association committee. “They are much healthier and they have a substantially better quality of life.” So what are the major things you can do?
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