Dr. Urman: 5 Steps Can Slash Heart Attack Risk 80 Percent

Dr. Mark Urman, preventive cardiologist at Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute, is quoted in Men’s Journal about a recent study that shows that middle-aged and older men were much less likely to have heart attacks over an average of 11 years if they drank moderately, didn’t smoke and did everything right on the diet, exercise and weight fronts.
“The medications we have today are important and effective, but ultimately, no magic pill or modern technology is more important for preventing heart attacks than living a healthy lifestyle,” says Dr. Mark Urman.  Urman calls keeping your heart healthy an odd’s game. “The more you do what you’re supposed to — staying physical active, not smoking, trying to avoid extra fat around your middle — the better your odds of staving off a heart attack,” he says. “And there’s definitely a synergistic effect of doing many of these things.” In other words, the more you do, the better.

5 Healthy Behaviors That Can Virtually Eliminate Your Risk of Heart Attack

1. Eating a heart healthy diet
2. Moderate alcohol consumption (10 – 30 grams/day; 30 grams is about 1 ounce)
3. No smoking
4. Being physically active (walking/bicycling 40 minutes or more/day and exercising one hour or more/week)
5. Healthy waist circumference (<95 cm, or about 37.4 inches)

Click here to read the article.

Behaviors That Increase Your Risk of Heart Disease
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women. In fact, approximately 600,000 Americans die from heart disease annually. Most alarmingly, in the United States, someone has a heart attack every 34 seconds. To follow are the most common behaviors that significantly increase your risk of developing heart disease.

Lack of Exercise

• According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), 33% of women between 45 and 64 years old do not exercise.
• Exercise need not be rigorous to have a positive impact on your heart health.

Being Overweight

• According the NHLBI, 65% of Americans in their 40s are overweight.
• “Overweight” is classified as a body mass index (BMI) between 25 and 29.9
• The NHLBI states that 42% of Americans in their 50s are considered obese.
• “Obesity” is defined as having a BMI 30 or higher.

Poor Diet

• Good nutrition is essential to heart health (click here to read about tips for heart-healthy diets).
• Poor diet can increase cholesterol and blood pressure.
• High cholesterol increases plaque production on the walls of the heart’s arteries.
• The NHLBI says nearly one out of every two women has high or borderline high cholesterol in America.
• It is suspected that more than half of the population in their 50s has high cholesterol.

Smoking

• Smoking is one of the greatest contributing risk factors to heart disease, and is directly controllable.
• The NHLBI reports that 18% of American women smoke.
• Studies suggest that heart disease risk drops more than half after quitting smoking for one year.

Do You Live in Los Angeles and Need to See a Cardiologist? Schedule an Appointment with COR Medical Group today.

If you’d like more information about heart disease risk factors, or COR Medical Group, contact our office at 310.659.0715 to schedule an appointment. You can also fill out our online contact form or visit us on Facebook, Twitter, or Google+. We look forward to serving you.