If preventing heart disease were simple, heart disease would not still be the leading cause of death in the US. And while medical research has clearly established the underlying factors which can lead to heart disease, it has yet to come up with a pill which can motivate people to adopt the lifestyle changes which will ensure the health of their own hearts. Preventing heart disease, in other words, is a matter of personal responsibility.

Only three things are required of those serious about preventing heart disease: sound nutrition; regular exercise; and avoidance of tobacco products. Three things do not sound like many, but these three things unfortunately encompass activities which are hot-button issues for many Americans.

Nutrition
Good nutrition, for instance, does not include the huge amounts of fat which usually accompany restaurant meals and processed snack foods. Food without fat does not taste nearly as appetizing as food with it, and fats of the wrong kind--saturated or trans fats, are leading causes of artery-blocking plaque. Preventing heart disease will mean drastically reducing the amounts of unhealthy fats you consume.

When you try preventing heart disease by losing the bad fats, boot the sodium out the door with them. Sodium--plain old table salt--is notorious for encouraging the body to retain fluids. Having more fluid in your system than you need will mean your blood volume increases, raising your blood pressure. When your blood pressure is high, your heart has to work harder to move the blood through your body, and one key to preventing heart disease is to reduce the amount of work your heart has to do.

Exercise
Regular exercise, even if it takes you away from the relaxation to which you think you’re entitled after a day of hard work, is another must for preventing heart disease. A fifteen minute walk at a brisk pace each morning, lunchtime, or evening will go a surprisingly long way in preventing heart disease.

Tobbacco
Finally, eliminating tobacco, no matter how much you depend on nicotine to get you through the day, is an absolute in preventing heart disease. Both men and women over forty who smoke have three times the risk of dying from heart disease as non-smokers, and the Center for Disease Control estimates that over 150,000 US deaths each year are from heart disease related to smoking. Even second-hand smoke can aggravate the development of arteriosclerosis and stroke.

Even worse, smoking will raise your bad cholesterol and lower your good cholesterol, so if you are a junk food addict who smokes, you are at a double risk for developing heart disease.

Preventing heart disease is not easy, but it is possible. You just have to want it badly enough.





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