You can dramatically lower or nearly wipe out your
chances of you having
a heart attack and heart disease by following healthy lifestyle habits.
Two recent studies show it's true whether you're a man or a woman, and
even if you already have risk factors like high cholesterol. The
healthy habits for guys and ladies aren't quite the same (although
they're similar), and researchers didn't directly compare what works
for men vs. women.
<b>What Works for Women?</b>
One of the new studies followed nearly 70,000 women for 20 years. The
women reported on their habits, such as diet and exercise, and gave
the researchers other health information every 2 years.
At the start of the study, the women were an average age of 37 and
none haddiabetesor diseases of the heart or blood vessels. Not only
did the women who followed all six healthy habits nearly get rid of
their heart attack risk -- cutting it by 92% -- they also lowered
their odds of getting a risk factor, likehigh blood pressure, by 66%.
Here are the Five habits that mattered:
*Don't smoke.
*Have a normal body mass index (BMI)
*Get moderate to vigorous exercise for at least 2.5 hours a week.
*Watch 7 or fewer hours of television weekly.
*Drink one or fewer alcoholic beverages daily.
<b>What Works for Men?</b>
In another recent study that looked at men and heart disease, Swedish
researchers followed more than 20,000 men from 1997 through 2009. At
the study start, the men were ages 45 to 79 with no histories of heart
or blood vessel diseases, diabetes, high blood pressure, or high
cholesterol. They gave the researchers info on their health habits
during the study, too.
The researchers found that following these five habits cut men's heart
attack risk by 86%:
*Don't smoke.
*Eat a healthy diet.
*Drink alcohol moderately: about two or fewer drinks daily.
*Be physically active -- walk or cycle at least 40 minutes daily.
*Have a waist circumference of less than 37 inches.
The researchers, from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, found that
only 1% of the men followed all five healthy habits. A healthy diet
and moderate drinking had the most impact on reducing men's risk, they
found.
A Heart Doctor's Opinion
The researchers gathered some of their information from participants'
self-reports, which might not always be accurate. Most participants in
both studies were white, so results might not apply to people from
other ethnic backgrounds.
Even so, the research gives valuable perspective about how bad health
habits, even in young adults, can have ill effects, says Ravi Dave,
MD.
He's a cardiologist at the UCLA Medical Centers in L.A. and Santa
Monica. He reviewed the findings but didn't participate in the
studies.
"You really can see your bad habits, at a certain point in time, negatively
influence you in the future," he says.
In the past, he says, women were often told, even by their doctors,
that they were protected from heart disease until they reached
menopause. The recent study on women "changes the mindset of doctors
now not to give that bad advice anymore,"he says. Women, like men,
need to pay attention to good habits early in life, he says.
chances of you having
a heart attack and heart disease by following healthy lifestyle habits.
Two recent studies show it's true whether you're a man or a woman, and
even if you already have risk factors like high cholesterol. The
healthy habits for guys and ladies aren't quite the same (although
they're similar), and researchers didn't directly compare what works
for men vs. women.
<b>What Works for Women?</b>
One of the new studies followed nearly 70,000 women for 20 years. The
women reported on their habits, such as diet and exercise, and gave
the researchers other health information every 2 years.
At the start of the study, the women were an average age of 37 and
none haddiabetesor diseases of the heart or blood vessels. Not only
did the women who followed all six healthy habits nearly get rid of
their heart attack risk -- cutting it by 92% -- they also lowered
their odds of getting a risk factor, likehigh blood pressure, by 66%.
Here are the Five habits that mattered:
*Don't smoke.
*Have a normal body mass index (BMI)
*Get moderate to vigorous exercise for at least 2.5 hours a week.
*Watch 7 or fewer hours of television weekly.
*Drink one or fewer alcoholic beverages daily.
<b>What Works for Men?</b>
In another recent study that looked at men and heart disease, Swedish
researchers followed more than 20,000 men from 1997 through 2009. At
the study start, the men were ages 45 to 79 with no histories of heart
or blood vessel diseases, diabetes, high blood pressure, or high
cholesterol. They gave the researchers info on their health habits
during the study, too.
The researchers found that following these five habits cut men's heart
attack risk by 86%:
*Don't smoke.
*Eat a healthy diet.
*Drink alcohol moderately: about two or fewer drinks daily.
*Be physically active -- walk or cycle at least 40 minutes daily.
*Have a waist circumference of less than 37 inches.
The researchers, from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, found that
only 1% of the men followed all five healthy habits. A healthy diet
and moderate drinking had the most impact on reducing men's risk, they
found.
A Heart Doctor's Opinion
The researchers gathered some of their information from participants'
self-reports, which might not always be accurate. Most participants in
both studies were white, so results might not apply to people from
other ethnic backgrounds.
Even so, the research gives valuable perspective about how bad health
habits, even in young adults, can have ill effects, says Ravi Dave,
MD.
He's a cardiologist at the UCLA Medical Centers in L.A. and Santa
Monica. He reviewed the findings but didn't participate in the
studies.
"You really can see your bad habits, at a certain point in time, negatively
influence you in the future," he says.
In the past, he says, women were often told, even by their doctors,
that they were protected from heart disease until they reached
menopause. The recent study on women "changes the mindset of doctors
now not to give that bad advice anymore,"he says. Women, like men,
need to pay attention to good habits early in life, he says.
No comments:
Post a Comment