Here's a closer look at the new guidelines for heart health.
Smoking: Don't do it.
Maintain a healthy weight: Weight also correlates with heart disease. Too much fat — especially around the waist — increases the risks of high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.
Exercise: Not only will physical activity help in the weight category, it also reduces blood pressure, increases HDL and improves the body's sensitivity to insulin, which helps control blood sugar.
Healthy eating: The guidelines advise eating at least 41/2 cups of fruits and vegetables per day, at least 3 ounces of whole grains per day, at least two servings of fish each week, less than 1,500 milligrams of sodium per day and no more than 450 calories worth of sugar-sweetened beverages in a week. To meet the heart-healthy ideal, you should follow at least four of these five rules.
Studies have shown that diets high in fruits and vegetables can reduce high blood pressure and other risk factors for heart disease. It's not clear whether the foods themselves make that happen or whether people who eat lots of fruits and vegetables also eat fewer unhealthful foods.
There's also evidence that whole grains reduce LDL, the bad cholesterol, even for people on low-fat, low-cholesterol diets. Fiber slows the progression of cardiovascular disease in high-risk patients.
Watch your numbers: There are three important physiologic measures that increase the risk of heart disease if they rise above the normal range: blood pressure, blood cholesterol levels and blood glucose.
"Every American (och alla andra människor på jordklotet) should know these numbers," Sacco says.
Studies show that people who keep all three factors in the healthy range reduced their risk of death from cardiovascular disease over 16 to 22 years by 70% to 85% compared with people with at least one measure in a high-risk range.
Soure Los Angeles Times
