Heart disease is the number one killer of adults in the United States, claiming the lives of over one million men and women every year, according to The Heart Foundation. That means every 60 seconds, someone dies from a heart-disease related event.
And heart disease doesn't discriminate. It is the leading cause of death for people of most ethnicities in the United States, including African Americans, Hispanics and Whites, and is second only to cancer for Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders and American Indians. It also effects both genders equally, but men tend to get heart disease around 10 years earlier than women.
Heart disease can also occur at any age. However, four out of five people who die from coronary heart disease are aged 65 or older, and the risk of stroke doubles with each decade after the age of 55.
These are large and frightening statistics, but the silver lining for heart disease is that the potential for prevention is huge. We have probably all heard that eating right, exercising, and controlling risk factors like smoking and high blood pressure will protect our hearts, but by exploring the numbers behind these statements, we can find out how to truly lower your risk for heart disease.
1. Smokers are twice as likely to suffer a heart attack than non-smokers
Smoking is a nuclear time bomb for heart disease. Not only are smokers more likely to suffer from a heart attack, they are more likely to die as a result. Of the 46 million Americans that smoke, women who smoke and take the contraceptive pill are at a particularly high risk for heart attack.
Smoking is such a high risk factor because the nicotine and carbon monoxide in tobacco smoke damages the cardiovascular system. So, stoping smoking is the number one prevention method for heart disease.
2. Walking an extra 2,000 steps a day lowers your risk by 10 percent
In a Leicester study conducted in 2014, adults aged 50 and over who were at high risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes were studied to determine the effects of increased exercise. Those who walked an additional 2,000 steps a day, which amounts to about 20 minutes of lively walking, reduced their risk of having a heart attack or stroke by 10 percent over the next six years.
Other than quitting smoking, nothing comes close to exercise for a prevention method. By engaging in moderate aerobic exercise five days a week for at least 30 minutes, or trying more vigorous workouts - including as strength training - three times a week for at least 20 minutes, the risk of heart disease lowers significantly.
3. Consuming an extra 7 grams of fiber daily lowers your risk by 9 percent
In a review of recent studies, British researchers found that people who ate seven more grams of dietary fiber had a nine percent lower risk of heart disease. Not only is eating more fiber a marker of a healthier diet, it also has beneficial effects on blood glucose, cholesterol and the gastrointestinal tract.
Vegetables, beans, fruits, nuts and whole grains are all good sources of fiber. For reference, one apple has about five grams of dietary fiber, and a half a cup of lentils has eight.
4. A daily glass of wine lowers your risk by 25 percent
Research shows that drinking in moderation is heart healthy. Moderation is considered one daily drink for women, and two for men. Alcohol relaxes the blood vessels and thus reduces the blood's ability to clot, making it a useful preventative method for heart disease.
All alcohol has benefits, but wine has slightly more due to the fact that it contains antioxidants and can help boost good cholesterol while lowering LDL, or bad cholesterol.
5. Getting the flu shot reduces the risk of cardiovascular events by 36 percent for people with heart disease
People with heart disease and those who have had a stroke are at high risk for developing serious complications from the flu. For these people, getting the flu can be very serious because it puts a lot of stress on the body, which increases the chance of getting another heart attack by 36 percent.
Flu season peaks near March, and vaccination is the most important step in protecting against the flu. Even if you don’t see a regular doctor, you can get a flu vaccine from doctor's offices, clinics and pharmacies. Flu shots are approved for use in people with heart disease and other health conditions, however, there is a precaution against giving the nasal spray flu vaccine to people with heart disease because the safety of the nasal spray vaccine in people with heart disease and some other high risk conditions has not been established.
6. Following a Mediterranean diet lowers your risk by 30 percent
A major Spanish study found that adults aged 55 to 80 who ate a Mediterranean diet were 30 percent less likely to have a heart attack or stroke, or die from heart disease over the next five years.
A Mediterranean diet consists of many productive elements, such as olive oil as the primary fat, moderate consumption of alcohol in the form of wine, low consumption of red meats, and usage of lots of high fiber foods such as fruits, nuts, legumes and fish. The major benefit of the Mediterranean diet is that it is not just one healthy element, but rather it is a healthy lifestyle choice.
7. A healthy lifestyle lowers the chance of dying from heart disease by 25 percent
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently estimated that if everyone didn't smoke, ate a healthy diet, exercised regularly, achieved a healthy weight and got regular checkups, then death from heart disease would fall by 25 percent. That equates to 200,000 lives saved each year.
