How Heart Surgery May Extend Your Life
Routine, but never minor, surgery: Get a second opinion if you're in doubt.
(OWEN FRANKEN/CORBIS)
In 2005 doctors performed about 280,000 bypass surgeries to route new vessels around blocked arteries and 800,000 angioplasties to open blocked arteries. Another 100,000 Americans had heart valves surgically repaired or replaced.
If your doctor says you need an intervention to fix or protect your heart, you'll have some pressing questions.
• What type of procedure is the best choice for you?
• What are the risks?
• What kinds of improvements can you expect?
Can surgery extend your life?
While heart surgery can't cure heart disease, it should relieve chest pain and help you live longer.
Alive and Amazed
"My arteries were really clogged" Watch video
More about heart surgery
The Dilemma of Bypass or Angioplasty
Heart Surgery That Barely Leaves a Scar
How Safe Is Bypass Surgery?
Patients with serious coronary artery disease who undergo bypass surgery are nearly 50% more likely to be alive in five years than patients who receive drug treatment alone.
Angioplasties can also relieve chest pain, but the results are not as lasting. More than 40% of the patients who receive angioplasty need bypass surgery within a decade.
Long-term survival following the two procedures is just about the same, according to a recent overview of both by researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine. Results for almost 10,000 patients from 23 clinical trials in the United States and Europe showed 98.2% survival for bypass surgery and 98.9% for angioplasty.
Next Page: Risks versus benefits of bypass
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Lead writer: Chris Woolston
Kamis, 11 Desember 2008
Statins and Other Drugs
Prognosis for Heart Attack Patients May Depend on What's in the Medicine Cabinet
Skipping this pill can triple your risk of death within a year.
(TOM GRILL/CORBIS/HEALTH)
Whether you're trying to recover from a massive heart attack or hoping to mitigate your risk factors, the right prescription heart drug can put your goals within reach. In recent years doctors have hit upon effective combinations for the most common heart conditions. The future of heart attack and heart disease patients depends in part on the contents of their medicine cabinet, says Sharonne Hayes, MD, director of the Mayo Clinic's Women's Heart Clinic. "Heart patients who go home with aspirin, a statin, and a beta-blocker have fewer second heart attacks and live longer than those who don't," she says.
When lifestyle changes aren't enough
John Maiorana, a 65-year-old retired Navy chaplain living in Virginia Beach, Va., has been taking Lipitor every day since his quadruple bypass surgery 10 years ago. His doctor runs a simple blood test every year to check for signs of liver damage—a standard procedure for anyone taking a statin—but the drug has never caused Maiorana any trouble.
Heart Drugs
"I take so many now" Watch video
More on heart drugs
Beta-Blockers for Coronary Artery Disease
Blood Pressure Medications
Calcium Channel Blockers Can Treat Coronary Artery Disease
Over the years the combination of Lipitor, regular exercise, and a low-fat diet has brought his total cholesterol down from the high 240s to the low 150s and allowed him to enjoy his retirement. "I walk, I jog, and I even eat pizza with cheese on it," he says. "I just don't overdo it."
Next Pag
Skipping this pill can triple your risk of death within a year.
(TOM GRILL/CORBIS/HEALTH)
Whether you're trying to recover from a massive heart attack or hoping to mitigate your risk factors, the right prescription heart drug can put your goals within reach. In recent years doctors have hit upon effective combinations for the most common heart conditions. The future of heart attack and heart disease patients depends in part on the contents of their medicine cabinet, says Sharonne Hayes, MD, director of the Mayo Clinic's Women's Heart Clinic. "Heart patients who go home with aspirin, a statin, and a beta-blocker have fewer second heart attacks and live longer than those who don't," she says.
When lifestyle changes aren't enough
John Maiorana, a 65-year-old retired Navy chaplain living in Virginia Beach, Va., has been taking Lipitor every day since his quadruple bypass surgery 10 years ago. His doctor runs a simple blood test every year to check for signs of liver damage—a standard procedure for anyone taking a statin—but the drug has never caused Maiorana any trouble.
Heart Drugs
"I take so many now" Watch video
More on heart drugs
Beta-Blockers for Coronary Artery Disease
Blood Pressure Medications
Calcium Channel Blockers Can Treat Coronary Artery Disease
Over the years the combination of Lipitor, regular exercise, and a low-fat diet has brought his total cholesterol down from the high 240s to the low 150s and allowed him to enjoy his retirement. "I walk, I jog, and I even eat pizza with cheese on it," he says. "I just don't overdo it."
Next Pag
Depression and Heart Disease
Depression and Heart Disease
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Your odds of dying post heart attack are four times higher if you are depressed.
(VEER)
By some estimates, people who suffer from depression are about 65% more likely to develop heart disease, and up to one in five people with heart disease will develop depression.
Which condition comes first?
The World Health Organization predicts that by 2002 heart disease will be the number one cause of death and disability worldwide and that depression will be second. But the extent to which these two chronic conditions are caused by each other, or happen to occur in tandem, is an area experts are still exploring. How to treat both conditions simultaneously is another.
"Depression as a risk factor for heart disease leads us to question whether we should be treating the mind and the body together," says Leo Pozuelo, MD, associate director of the Bakken Heart-Brain Institute at the Cleveland Clinic.
Heart Disease Blues
"I could only do a few things" Watch video
More on heart disease
Treating Depression Can Help to Heal Your Heart
Why You Must Treat Cardiac Depression
Coping With Depression and Heart Disease
"Depression makes people sicker"
Whichever comes first, depression and heart disease make a devastating combination. Depression can also get in the way of recovery once you have heart disease.
Research suggests that repeat cardiovascular events are more closely associated with depression than they are with smoking, diabetes, high blood pressure, or high cholesterol. A recent Duke University study also found that depressed heart-failure patients were 50% more likely to die or to be hospitalized for their heart condition than patients who were not depressed.
In the first six months after a heart attack, a depressed person's chances of dying are four times higher than a nondepressed person's, even if they have the same heart damage. "Depression itself makes people sicker in ways that we don't really have a clear understanding of," says Kenneth Robbins, MD, professor of psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
Whether you've battled depression for years or only developed symptoms after your heart disease, taking your depression seriously may be the best thing you do for odds of surviving heart disease.
Lead writer: Sharon Kay
Last Updated: May 11, 2008
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Your odds of dying post heart attack are four times higher if you are depressed.
(VEER)
By some estimates, people who suffer from depression are about 65% more likely to develop heart disease, and up to one in five people with heart disease will develop depression.
Which condition comes first?
The World Health Organization predicts that by 2002 heart disease will be the number one cause of death and disability worldwide and that depression will be second. But the extent to which these two chronic conditions are caused by each other, or happen to occur in tandem, is an area experts are still exploring. How to treat both conditions simultaneously is another.
"Depression as a risk factor for heart disease leads us to question whether we should be treating the mind and the body together," says Leo Pozuelo, MD, associate director of the Bakken Heart-Brain Institute at the Cleveland Clinic.
Heart Disease Blues
"I could only do a few things" Watch video
More on heart disease
Treating Depression Can Help to Heal Your Heart
Why You Must Treat Cardiac Depression
Coping With Depression and Heart Disease
"Depression makes people sicker"
Whichever comes first, depression and heart disease make a devastating combination. Depression can also get in the way of recovery once you have heart disease.
Research suggests that repeat cardiovascular events are more closely associated with depression than they are with smoking, diabetes, high blood pressure, or high cholesterol. A recent Duke University study also found that depressed heart-failure patients were 50% more likely to die or to be hospitalized for their heart condition than patients who were not depressed.
In the first six months after a heart attack, a depressed person's chances of dying are four times higher than a nondepressed person's, even if they have the same heart damage. "Depression itself makes people sicker in ways that we don't really have a clear understanding of," says Kenneth Robbins, MD, professor of psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
Whether you've battled depression for years or only developed symptoms after your heart disease, taking your depression seriously may be the best thing you do for odds of surviving heart disease.
Lead writer: Sharon Kay
Last Updated: May 11, 2008
Diet and Exercise
5 Shortcuts to a Heart-Healthy Diet
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Smart heart patients are obsessive label readers.
(ISTOCKPHOTO)
People with heart disease tend to have something in common: Many have spent decades eating too much saturated fat and not consuming enough fruits and vegetables.
After being diagnosed with coronary artery disease and undergoing a quadruple bypass surgery at age 60, Alfred Pasquale, a marketer of cheese products in San Rafael, Calif., learned to eat in moderation. "My wife and I don't go out to eat as much as we used to, because I need to control what is on my plate," he says.
But whether dining out or at home, most people can make dramatic progress by following the guidelines below.
Cut meat intake. "If you had to target one particular food group to help your heart, it would be meat," says Jeffrey Frame, PhD, a registered dietitian and professor of dietetics at Murray State University. "Animal products and saturated fat go hand in hand."
Swap red meat for other protein. Red meat is especially high in saturated fat, says Melissa Ohlson, RD, coordinator of the Cleveland Clinic's preventive cardiology and rehabilitation nutrition program. Cutting portion sizes of steaks—or, better, substituting chicken or fish—goes a long way toward protecting the heart.
Count fat grams. Ohlson also encourages heart patients to read labels of all packaged food. Anything with more than two grams of saturated fat per serving will do the heart more harm than good. You should also avoid any foods that have more than 1 gram of trans fat per 100 calories. Lots of packaged snack foods—including many baked goods, cookies, and potato chips—won't pass the test.
Bulk up on plant foods. The vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber in fresh produce and beans can help lower blood pressure while protecting arteries from damage.
Keep your weight under control. A study of nearly 30,000 men found that over just three years men with BMI between 25 and 28.9 (which falls within the range typically defined as overweight) had a 72% increased risk of developing coronary heart disease—and obese men with BMI of 33 or above had a 244% increase—compared with lean men with BMI of 23 or under.
Share
Smart heart patients are obsessive label readers.
(ISTOCKPHOTO)
People with heart disease tend to have something in common: Many have spent decades eating too much saturated fat and not consuming enough fruits and vegetables.
After being diagnosed with coronary artery disease and undergoing a quadruple bypass surgery at age 60, Alfred Pasquale, a marketer of cheese products in San Rafael, Calif., learned to eat in moderation. "My wife and I don't go out to eat as much as we used to, because I need to control what is on my plate," he says.
But whether dining out or at home, most people can make dramatic progress by following the guidelines below.
Cut meat intake. "If you had to target one particular food group to help your heart, it would be meat," says Jeffrey Frame, PhD, a registered dietitian and professor of dietetics at Murray State University. "Animal products and saturated fat go hand in hand."
Swap red meat for other protein. Red meat is especially high in saturated fat, says Melissa Ohlson, RD, coordinator of the Cleveland Clinic's preventive cardiology and rehabilitation nutrition program. Cutting portion sizes of steaks—or, better, substituting chicken or fish—goes a long way toward protecting the heart.
Count fat grams. Ohlson also encourages heart patients to read labels of all packaged food. Anything with more than two grams of saturated fat per serving will do the heart more harm than good. You should also avoid any foods that have more than 1 gram of trans fat per 100 calories. Lots of packaged snack foods—including many baked goods, cookies, and potato chips—won't pass the test.
Bulk up on plant foods. The vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber in fresh produce and beans can help lower blood pressure while protecting arteries from damage.
Keep your weight under control. A study of nearly 30,000 men found that over just three years men with BMI between 25 and 28.9 (which falls within the range typically defined as overweight) had a 72% increased risk of developing coronary heart disease—and obese men with BMI of 33 or above had a 244% increase—compared with lean men with BMI of 23 or under.
What Causes Arrhythmia?
The heart doesn't contract all at once. Instead, each section waits for its cue: an electrical signal that starts at the top of the right atrium and runs downward through the ventricles. As long as nothing disturbs that signal, the heart will beat at a mostly steady, healthy pace.
Damage to the heart—whether from an infection, an inherited condition, or a heart attack—can interfere with the electrical signal and throw the heart off its rhythm. This is arrythmia.
More about arrythmia
What a Skipped Heartbeat Means
7 Symptoms of Arrhythmia
Atrial Fibrillation Causes the Heart to Quiver Instead of Pump
Almost any part of the heart is capable of starting the electricity that drives the beat, and the heart muscle may also immediately jury-rig a new source of electrical signals. These new signals may keep the heart beating, but they disrupt the normal pace or rhythm.
A racing heartbeat—ventricular tachycardia, it turns out—sent Shannon Schroeder, 37, of Poulsbo, Wash., to the emergency room. It's a good thing she went.
Share Your Thoughts
Has coffee ever made your heart gallop?
An echocardiogram showed that the walls of her left ventricle were thicker than they should be, and the muscle showed telltale damage of an earlier silent heart attack. The damage had weakened her heart and harmed the electric circuitry that maintains a normal rhythm.
Stimulants—including caffeine, nicotine, and drugs—can also cause brief arrhythmias. They're usually harmless, but there are case reports of people dying from ventricular fibrillation after overdosing on controlled substances.
Lead writer: Chris Woolston
Last Updated: April 01, 2008
Damage to the heart—whether from an infection, an inherited condition, or a heart attack—can interfere with the electrical signal and throw the heart off its rhythm. This is arrythmia.
More about arrythmia
What a Skipped Heartbeat Means
7 Symptoms of Arrhythmia
Atrial Fibrillation Causes the Heart to Quiver Instead of Pump
Almost any part of the heart is capable of starting the electricity that drives the beat, and the heart muscle may also immediately jury-rig a new source of electrical signals. These new signals may keep the heart beating, but they disrupt the normal pace or rhythm.
A racing heartbeat—ventricular tachycardia, it turns out—sent Shannon Schroeder, 37, of Poulsbo, Wash., to the emergency room. It's a good thing she went.
Share Your Thoughts
Has coffee ever made your heart gallop?
An echocardiogram showed that the walls of her left ventricle were thicker than they should be, and the muscle showed telltale damage of an earlier silent heart attack. The damage had weakened her heart and harmed the electric circuitry that maintains a normal rhythm.
Stimulants—including caffeine, nicotine, and drugs—can also cause brief arrhythmias. They're usually harmless, but there are case reports of people dying from ventricular fibrillation after overdosing on controlled substances.
Lead writer: Chris Woolston
Last Updated: April 01, 2008
Coronary Artery Disease
What Causes Coronary Artery Disease?
content provided by Healthwise
More about CAD
Thriving With Heart Disease
Don't Ignore CAD Symptoms
What Treatments Work for Coronary Artery Disease?
Coronary artery disease is caused by hardening of the arteries, or atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis occurs when plaque builds up inside the arteries. (Arteries are the blood vessels that carry oxygen-rich blood throughout your body.) Atherosclerosis can affect any arteries in the body. When it occurs in the arteries that supply blood to the heart, it is called coronary artery disease.
Plaque is a fatty material made up of cholesterol, calcium, and other substances in the blood. To understand why plaque is a problem, compare a healthy artery with an artery with atherosclerosis:
A healthy artery is like a rubber tube. It is smooth and flexible, and blood flows through it freely. If your heart has to work harder, such as when you exercise, a healthy artery can stretch to let more blood flow to your body’s tissues.
An artery with atherosclerosis is more like a clogged pipe. Plaque narrows the artery and makes it stiff. This limits the flow of blood to the tissues. When the heart has to work harder, the stiff arteries can't flex to let more blood through, and the tissues don't get enough blood and oxygen.
See a picture of a normal artery and an artery narrowed by plaque.
When plaque builds up in the coronary arteries, the heart doesn't get the blood it needs to work well. Over time, this can weaken or damage the heart. If a plaque tears, the body tries to fix the tear by forming a blood clot around it. The clot can block blood flow to the heart and cause a heart attack.
See a picture of how plaque causes a heart attack.
content provided by Healthwise
More about CAD
Thriving With Heart Disease
Don't Ignore CAD Symptoms
What Treatments Work for Coronary Artery Disease?
Coronary artery disease is caused by hardening of the arteries, or atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis occurs when plaque builds up inside the arteries. (Arteries are the blood vessels that carry oxygen-rich blood throughout your body.) Atherosclerosis can affect any arteries in the body. When it occurs in the arteries that supply blood to the heart, it is called coronary artery disease.
Plaque is a fatty material made up of cholesterol, calcium, and other substances in the blood. To understand why plaque is a problem, compare a healthy artery with an artery with atherosclerosis:
A healthy artery is like a rubber tube. It is smooth and flexible, and blood flows through it freely. If your heart has to work harder, such as when you exercise, a healthy artery can stretch to let more blood flow to your body’s tissues.
An artery with atherosclerosis is more like a clogged pipe. Plaque narrows the artery and makes it stiff. This limits the flow of blood to the tissues. When the heart has to work harder, the stiff arteries can't flex to let more blood through, and the tissues don't get enough blood and oxygen.
See a picture of a normal artery and an artery narrowed by plaque.
When plaque builds up in the coronary arteries, the heart doesn't get the blood it needs to work well. Over time, this can weaken or damage the heart. If a plaque tears, the body tries to fix the tear by forming a blood clot around it. The clot can block blood flow to the heart and cause a heart attack.
See a picture of how plaque causes a heart attack.
Heart Attack
What Are Your Odds of a Heart Attack?
Thanks to lifesaving technology, doctors can "stop a heart attack in its tracks."
(ISTOCKPHOTO)
Each year heart attacks kill more than 150,000 Americans, nearly half of them women. If such a grim statistic can have a bright side, it's this: Most heart attacks today aren't fatal.
About 75% of men and 60% of women live at least one year after an attack.
Who is most at risk?
While most heart attack victims are middle-aged or older—the average age for a first attack is 66 for men and 70 for women—people in their 20s and 30s suffer attacks too.
The risk of a heart attack climbs for men after age 45 and for women after age 55.
When do heart attacks strike?
Heart attacks occur roughly every 35 seconds in the United States, and most occur in the morning, a time when the platelets in the blood are especially "sticky" and prone to form clots.
Early Warning Signs
Heart attack symptoms can be subtle Watch video
More on heart attack
"I Stopped My Diabetes Meds and Had a Heart Attack"
10 Risk Factors for Heart Disease
At least one study, however, has found that morning isn't a prime time for heart attacks among people who regularly take aspirin, which helps keep platelets from sticking together.
Beating the odds
Survival odds for people who have had a heart attack keep getting better thanks to advances in diagnosis, medication, and lifesaving technology.
It's worth noting that survival rates for heart attack patients are better on weekdays compared to weekends, because medical personnel are more likely to use invasive procedures (including angioplasty and bypass surgery) during the week.
Nonetheless, cardiologists are optimistic about the rate of improvement in cardiac care. When Sharonne Hayes, MD, director of the Mayo Clinic's Women's Heart Clinic, started practicing in the mid-1980s, doctors couldn't do much for people having heart attacks. "Now we can stop a heart attack in its tracks," she says. "Patients have a much better chance at recovery."
Lead writer: Chris Woolston
Last Updated: April 23, 2008
Thanks to lifesaving technology, doctors can "stop a heart attack in its tracks."
(ISTOCKPHOTO)
Each year heart attacks kill more than 150,000 Americans, nearly half of them women. If such a grim statistic can have a bright side, it's this: Most heart attacks today aren't fatal.
About 75% of men and 60% of women live at least one year after an attack.
Who is most at risk?
While most heart attack victims are middle-aged or older—the average age for a first attack is 66 for men and 70 for women—people in their 20s and 30s suffer attacks too.
The risk of a heart attack climbs for men after age 45 and for women after age 55.
When do heart attacks strike?
Heart attacks occur roughly every 35 seconds in the United States, and most occur in the morning, a time when the platelets in the blood are especially "sticky" and prone to form clots.
Early Warning Signs
Heart attack symptoms can be subtle Watch video
More on heart attack
"I Stopped My Diabetes Meds and Had a Heart Attack"
10 Risk Factors for Heart Disease
At least one study, however, has found that morning isn't a prime time for heart attacks among people who regularly take aspirin, which helps keep platelets from sticking together.
Beating the odds
Survival odds for people who have had a heart attack keep getting better thanks to advances in diagnosis, medication, and lifesaving technology.
It's worth noting that survival rates for heart attack patients are better on weekdays compared to weekends, because medical personnel are more likely to use invasive procedures (including angioplasty and bypass surgery) during the week.
Nonetheless, cardiologists are optimistic about the rate of improvement in cardiac care. When Sharonne Hayes, MD, director of the Mayo Clinic's Women's Heart Clinic, started practicing in the mid-1980s, doctors couldn't do much for people having heart attacks. "Now we can stop a heart attack in its tracks," she says. "Patients have a much better chance at recovery."
Lead writer: Chris Woolston
Last Updated: April 23, 2008
HEART TEST
Whether they’re trying to diagnose a problem or measure your progress, doctors have many ways to examine your heart. Tests may be as simple as a stethoscope exam to listen for an irregular heart rate, or as sophisticated as a three-dimensional computerized scan to get a clear image of your heart.
No matter how much technology is involved, no single test gives a complete picture of a patient’s risk for heart disease. Symptoms, age, lifestyle, health history, and gender all reveal important clues about a patient’s heart health.
Women may need different tests
And because women often experience heart disease differently from men, doctors are becoming more aware that diagnostic tests should be used differently for women and men, says C. Noel Bairey Merz, MD, medical director of the Women’s Heart Center at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Whether you’re a man or a woman, don’t hesitate to tell your doctor—and see a cardiologist if necessary—if you think you might be at risk for heart disease.
Stress Test Signaled Trouble
She was athletic, but the treadmill hurt Watch video
More about heart tests
What Stress Tests Reveal About Your Heart Health
The New Cholesterol Math
Should You Demand an MRI?
What to Expect From an Echocardiogram
"The best possible thing is to find a doctor whom you trust and work with him [or her] to find out what you have," says Leslie Cho, MD, director of the Women’s Cardiovascular Center at the Cleveland Clinic. "Just because you heard about the latest test on Oprah doesn’t mean it’s the right test for you."
Every test provides information to help answer the questions that matter most: What’s the current state of your heart, and what do you need to do to get better?
No matter how much technology is involved, no single test gives a complete picture of a patient’s risk for heart disease. Symptoms, age, lifestyle, health history, and gender all reveal important clues about a patient’s heart health.
Women may need different tests
And because women often experience heart disease differently from men, doctors are becoming more aware that diagnostic tests should be used differently for women and men, says C. Noel Bairey Merz, MD, medical director of the Women’s Heart Center at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Whether you’re a man or a woman, don’t hesitate to tell your doctor—and see a cardiologist if necessary—if you think you might be at risk for heart disease.
Stress Test Signaled Trouble
She was athletic, but the treadmill hurt Watch video
More about heart tests
What Stress Tests Reveal About Your Heart Health
The New Cholesterol Math
Should You Demand an MRI?
What to Expect From an Echocardiogram
"The best possible thing is to find a doctor whom you trust and work with him [or her] to find out what you have," says Leslie Cho, MD, director of the Women’s Cardiovascular Center at the Cleveland Clinic. "Just because you heard about the latest test on Oprah doesn’t mean it’s the right test for you."
Every test provides information to help answer the questions that matter most: What’s the current state of your heart, and what do you need to do to get better?
10 Risk Factors for Heart Disease
Some risk factors for heart disease can be controlled, and some can't. According to the American Heart Association, these are the leading factors that put you at risk for coronary artery disease or a heart attack.
Age: More than 83% of people who die from coronary heart disease are 65 or older. Older women are more likely to die of heart attacks within a few weeks of the attack than older men.
Being male: Men have a greater risk of heart attack than women do, and they have attacks earlier in life. Even after menopause, when women's death rate from heart disease increases, it's not as great as men's.
Family history. Those with parents or close relatives with heart disease are more likely to develop it themselves.
Race: Heart disease risk is higher among African Americans, Mexican Americans, American Indians, native Hawaiians, and some Asian Americans compared to Caucasians.
Smoking: Cigarette smoking increases your risk of developing heart disease by two to four times.
High cholesterol: As blood cholesterol rises, so does risk of coronary heart disease.
High blood pressure: High blood pressure increases the heart's workload, causing the heart to thicken and become stiffer. It also increases your risk of stroke, heart attack, kidney failure, and congestive heart failure. When high blood pressure exists with obesity, smoking, high blood cholesterol levels, or diabetes, the risk of heart attack or stroke increases several times.
Sedentary lifestyle. Inactivity is a risk factor for coronary heart disease.
Excess weight: People who have excess body fat—especially if a lot of it is at the waist—are more likely to develop heart disease and stroke even if they have no other risk factors.
Diabetes: Having diabetes seriously increases your risk of developing cardiovascular disease. About three-quarters of people with diabetes die from some form of heart or blood vessel disease
Age: More than 83% of people who die from coronary heart disease are 65 or older. Older women are more likely to die of heart attacks within a few weeks of the attack than older men.
Being male: Men have a greater risk of heart attack than women do, and they have attacks earlier in life. Even after menopause, when women's death rate from heart disease increases, it's not as great as men's.
Family history. Those with parents or close relatives with heart disease are more likely to develop it themselves.
Race: Heart disease risk is higher among African Americans, Mexican Americans, American Indians, native Hawaiians, and some Asian Americans compared to Caucasians.
Smoking: Cigarette smoking increases your risk of developing heart disease by two to four times.
High cholesterol: As blood cholesterol rises, so does risk of coronary heart disease.
High blood pressure: High blood pressure increases the heart's workload, causing the heart to thicken and become stiffer. It also increases your risk of stroke, heart attack, kidney failure, and congestive heart failure. When high blood pressure exists with obesity, smoking, high blood cholesterol levels, or diabetes, the risk of heart attack or stroke increases several times.
Sedentary lifestyle. Inactivity is a risk factor for coronary heart disease.
Excess weight: People who have excess body fat—especially if a lot of it is at the waist—are more likely to develop heart disease and stroke even if they have no other risk factors.
Diabetes: Having diabetes seriously increases your risk of developing cardiovascular disease. About three-quarters of people with diabetes die from some form of heart or blood vessel disease
Preventing Heart Disease
Your Diet Can Stave Off Heart Disease
There is no perfect diet, but little improvements count.
(VEER)
A good diet is always important for health, but the stakes are especially high for people with heart disease. Food can either help protect the heart or provide fuel for a heart attack.
The diet plan you choose to prevent heart disease will depend on your unique risk factors. People with hypertension, for example, should choose a plan low in sodium and fat.
Those with high cholesterol should consider a diet rich in olive oil, omega-3 fatty acids, and other heart-healthy fats.
Bad Habits, Big Portions
Giant burgers, oversize steaks Watch video
More about heart disease
10 Simple Food Choices for a Healthy Heart
Learning to Eat Healthy Can Be Work—but It's Worth It
Lose Weight, Protect Your Heart
How to Maintain a Heart-Healthy Weight
Those who need to lose weight should consider a calorie-restricted version of their heart-healthy diet. On average, cutting 500 calories a day from your diet leads to a loss of one pound per week. The safest way to lose weight is to aim to drop up to one pound per week; crash diets can be harmful and rarely lead to permanent weight loss.
It is unlikely that you'll ward off heart disease through diet alone—exercise and heart medications matter too—but your choices at the dinner table really can determine your future.
A healthy weight is a healthy heart
One reason it's important to eat healthfully is to keep your body weight in a normal range.
A study of nearly 30,000 men found that overweight men (BMI 25 to 28.9) had a 72% increased risk of developing coronary heart disease over a three-year period, compared with men of a normal weight. Obese men had a 244% increased risk.
Another study found that adhering to any weight-loss plan—even a high-fat program—over one year can reduce your LDL/HDL ratio by 10% and modestly lower overall cardiac risk factors.
There is no perfect diet, but little improvements count.
(VEER)
A good diet is always important for health, but the stakes are especially high for people with heart disease. Food can either help protect the heart or provide fuel for a heart attack.
The diet plan you choose to prevent heart disease will depend on your unique risk factors. People with hypertension, for example, should choose a plan low in sodium and fat.
Those with high cholesterol should consider a diet rich in olive oil, omega-3 fatty acids, and other heart-healthy fats.
Bad Habits, Big Portions
Giant burgers, oversize steaks Watch video
More about heart disease
10 Simple Food Choices for a Healthy Heart
Learning to Eat Healthy Can Be Work—but It's Worth It
Lose Weight, Protect Your Heart
How to Maintain a Heart-Healthy Weight
Those who need to lose weight should consider a calorie-restricted version of their heart-healthy diet. On average, cutting 500 calories a day from your diet leads to a loss of one pound per week. The safest way to lose weight is to aim to drop up to one pound per week; crash diets can be harmful and rarely lead to permanent weight loss.
It is unlikely that you'll ward off heart disease through diet alone—exercise and heart medications matter too—but your choices at the dinner table really can determine your future.
A healthy weight is a healthy heart
One reason it's important to eat healthfully is to keep your body weight in a normal range.
A study of nearly 30,000 men found that overweight men (BMI 25 to 28.9) had a 72% increased risk of developing coronary heart disease over a three-year period, compared with men of a normal weight. Obese men had a 244% increased risk.
Another study found that adhering to any weight-loss plan—even a high-fat program—over one year can reduce your LDL/HDL ratio by 10% and modestly lower overall cardiac risk factors.
HEART DISEASE
Journey to a Healthier Heart: Your First Step Begins Now
Heart disease remains a leading killer in America, but consider the progress: the routine nature of lifesaving surgeries, the rise of cholesterol-controlling drugs, and the ever-deeper understanding of the roles stress, diet, and exercise play in maintaining a healthy heart.
If you have a reason to believe you’re at risk from bad genes, a weight or smoking problem, or a cholesterol count that has crept into the red zone, there are a lot of options and solutions available (we’ve put a lot of them here), and we have deeply knowledgeable experts to guide the way.
Don’t put off your journey to a healthier heart. Many of the signals of an impending problem are silent until disaster happens. Better diet and more exercise require time and must become routine. Be encouraged too: The patients and doctors we’ve spoken with, who know the disease from both sides, agree that it's never too late to get started.
Our Heart Disease Health Journey team includes editorial adviser Matthew Sorrentino, MD; editor Amy O'Connor; research editor Michael Gollust; lead writer Chris Woolston; and many contributing journalists.
Heart disease remains a leading killer in America, but consider the progress: the routine nature of lifesaving surgeries, the rise of cholesterol-controlling drugs, and the ever-deeper understanding of the roles stress, diet, and exercise play in maintaining a healthy heart.
If you have a reason to believe you’re at risk from bad genes, a weight or smoking problem, or a cholesterol count that has crept into the red zone, there are a lot of options and solutions available (we’ve put a lot of them here), and we have deeply knowledgeable experts to guide the way.
Don’t put off your journey to a healthier heart. Many of the signals of an impending problem are silent until disaster happens. Better diet and more exercise require time and must become routine. Be encouraged too: The patients and doctors we’ve spoken with, who know the disease from both sides, agree that it's never too late to get started.
Our Heart Disease Health Journey team includes editorial adviser Matthew Sorrentino, MD; editor Amy O'Connor; research editor Michael Gollust; lead writer Chris Woolston; and many contributing journalists.
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