After surviving a heart attack as a Senator in 1955, President Lyndon B. Johnson proclaimed February 1964 as American Heart Health Month. Every February since has been designated as a time to bring awareness to heart health and heart-healthy lifestyle choices.
Heart health statistics tell a deadly story. Each year more than 800,000 people die in the United States of cardiovascular disease, an umbrella term for all diseases related to the heart or blood vessels. Heart disease refers to all diseases that deal with the heart’s structure and function. Approximately 650,000 Americans die from heart disease each year, with about 366,000 of those from coronary heart disease: plaque built-up in the arteries.
Prevention is the best way to prevent heart disease, so it is important to know the risk factors.
- High blood pressure is 130/80 or when either number is higher. Blood pressure below 120/80 is considered normal. Elevated blood pressure is anything in between.
- High Cholesterol causes plaque to build up in your blood vessels, which can cause a heart attack or stroke. Our bodies need cholesterol, but the total cholesterol level should be less than 200 mg/dL. High cholesterol is 240 mg/dL or higher
- Overweight and obesity is often measured by body mass index (BMI). A healthy weight is a BMI between 18.5 and 24.9. Overweight is a BMI of 25 to 29.9, and obesity is a BMI of 30 or above.
- Prediabetes and diabetes can contribute to heart disease when not managed properly.
- Smoking increases the plaque build up in the blood vessels, leading to coronary heart disease.
- Family history of early heart disease increases your risk. Early heart disease is before the age of 55 for men or 65 for women.
- Age. Women over the age of 55 and men over the age of 45 are at increased risk of heart disease.
- Preeclampsia is a condition where the blood pressure rises, and too much protein is excreted in the urine during pregnancy. Women with a history of preeclampsia are at higher risk of heart disease.
- Unhealthy eating habits contribute to many of these risks. Many health care professionals recommend the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet, which includes foods high in potassium, calcium, and magnesium and lower in sodium.
- Lack of physical activity can contribute to weight, cholesterol, diabetes, and high blood pressure. Exercise is also a good way to manage stress, which has been linked to heart disease. Aim for 2 ½ hours a week of exercise, even if it is 10 minutes at a time.
- Sleep helps repair your heart and blood vessels, balance hormones that make you feel hungry or full, and help with immune system health. Adults should have seven to nine hours of quality sleep per night for heart health.