The No. 1 killer in America is heart disease. What if I told you there were six things you could do to make you 70 percent less likely to have a heart attack?
A?study?in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that if women followed six healthy lifestyle habits—just six—they were 92 percent less likely to develop heart disease. Not only that, but these six simple activities also could have prevented 70 percent of heart attacks in the study group.
These lifestyle habits are easy to apply to your life and simple to follow. You don’t have to do much, just a couple of small tweaks can greatly help you reduce your likelihood of having a heart attack and extend your life.
Watch your diet. Maintaining a healthy diet can help protect your heart, improve your blood pressure and cholesterol, and even reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes. A heart-healthy diet includes vegetables, fruits, lean meats and fish, whole grains and healthy fats, among others.
Reduce your alcohol consumption. Drinking too much alcohol can raise blood pressure, increase cardiomyopathy and other diseases. It can contribute to high triglycerides and cause irregular heartbeats. Limiting only one or no alcoholic drinks a day can greatly help your heart.
Exercise. Try aiming to exercise two-and-a-half hours each week. Being active not only helps your heart, it keeps your body and mind healthy.
Watch less TV. Binge TV watching is the worst of all sedentary activities, according to multiple studies. Watching too much TV can increase your risk of heart disease. Aim at seven or fewer hours of TV per week.
Quit smoking. If you smoke, quit. Or if someone you spend a lot of time with smokes, encourage them to quit. It’s not going to be an overnight change, but quitting can reduce your chances of having a heart attack or stroke or developing chronic heart disease.
Keep a healthy weight. Coordinate your diet and physical activity to keep a healthy BMI or Body Mass Index.
As a cardiologist, what I found interesting about this study is that it focused on heart disease risk factors rather than just preventing heart attacks. Of course, it’s important to know the signs and symptoms of a heart attack and to call 911 immediately if you think you or a loved one is experiencing one. But it’s also time we get more proactive about our heart health.
If you think about the six habits that were studied— eating a healthy diet, limiting alcohol, exercising, watching less TV, not smoking and keeping a healthy weight—I think we can all agree it wouldn’t be too hard to change a few of these in our own lives for the sake of a healthier heart and, in turn, a longer life.
Some heart disease risk factors are beyond our control, such as age and family history. But there are more factors you can control either through lifestyle changes or medication from your doctor.
Barbara Hutchinson, MD, is a cardiologist at AAMC. Contact her at 410-573-9805.