What makes this such an interesting question is that since 1900 cardiovascular disease has been the number one killer of Americans in every year but 1918. Over the many decades, heart disease has been studied extensively in order to stop this persistent trend. The medical community has made blood pressure screening a fundamental part of each office visit. The awareness of the risks associated with elevated cholesterol levels has made routine cholesterol testing a part of every physical examination. The public awareness campaigns against cigarette smoking have been a constant reminder of the risk in smoking. We now have the best medications ever to help control these problems.

Why then, if these three major risk factors of heart disease - high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, and cigarette smoking - are known and are being addressed by the general public is heart disease still such a threat?

Today in America, one in every five of us has some form of cardiovascular disease. Every 34 seconds a person in the United States has a heart attack. This results in 2,500 Americans dying of heart disease each day. What are we doing wrong?

The answer to that question is difficult because heart disease is a complex and multi-factorial disease process. This does not mean heart disease is simply an inevitability over which we have no control. There is ample evidence that of the changes we need to make in order to reduce heart disease.

First, the increasing number of overweight and obese Americans has lead to an alarming increase in Diabetes. The Type II Diabetic has a five times greater risk of cardiovascular disease than a non-diabetic. This form of diabetes is almost always associated with excess weight. Americans need to regain control of their weight. 64% of us are overweight - 28% are clinically obese. We are eating ourselves into heart attacks.

The dietary habits of most Americans do not promote good heart health. We need to start eating more whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, more fish, and less meat. Most of the essential nutrients for a healthy heart come from root and green vegetables, fresh fruits, and nuts. The meat and potatoes diet that Americans are famous for is not the answer. A heart healthy diet provides folic acid, B6, B12, C, E, magnesium, lycopene, coenzyme Q10. Fish provide valuable omega-3 free fatty acids that also promote good heart health. The current recommendation is that we eat 7-10 servings of fresh fruit and vegetables each day. The next best thing is to take a multivitamin each day if you are like a majority of us who have great intentions but not the time to eat well everyday.

Next, we need to get more exercise. Inactivity is the equivalent of smoking a pack of cigarettes each day. The heart is a muscle that needs exercise just like any other muscle. The current guidelines are one hour of exercise at least three times a week. This can come from walking, dancing, sports, house cleaning, raking leaves, or cycling. We need to find a way to add more physical activity to our lives.

Finally, we need to manage stress better. There is substantial data that the reason we are less active than ever and more overweight is because we have more demands on our lives than our predecessors. Depressed people have higher rates of heart disease. We all need to identify stresses in our lives and learn to cope with them. Try yoga and meditation - even for a few minutes each day. Take a walk around the block, find a quiet place in your office, get some sun on your face - any small thing to diffuse a stressful situation. Relax - your heart will thank you by granting you many more happy years with family and friends. Don't let the stress kill you.

Mike Grant
Associate Medical Director
American Health Sciences

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