Heart attack is the leading cause of death in the United States. Although a heart attack (or cardiac arrest) may be preceded by the symptoms of heart disease, some victims of heart attack are symptom-less until the day they have their first heart attack.
Heart Attack Causes and Signs
According to Mayo clinic, a heart attack occurs when one or more of your coronary arteries become blocked. Over time, a coronary artery can narrow from the buildup of various substances, including cholesterol (atherosclerosis). This condition, known as coronary artery disease, causes most heart attacks.
Another cause of a heart attack is a spasm of a coronary artery that shuts down blood flow to part of the heart muscle. Use of tobacco and of illicit drugs, such as cocaine, can cause a life-threatening spasm. A heart attack can also occur due to a tear in the heart artery (spontaneous coronary artery dissection).
People generally know that a crushing chest pain or sudden shooting pain in the left arm may indicate a heart problem, but many do not know that there are other signs that could mean heart trouble (in addition to the chest pain), and I’ve written about them in my article about 10 signs of a heart attack never to ignore.
So what can be done to prevent heart disease and keep your heart healthy? Well, the good news is that 79-90% of heart attacks could be avoided with only five simple lifestyle changes.
5 Lifestyle Changes that Could Prevent Nearly 80% of Heart Attacks
A recent research study from Sweden’s Karolinska Institute found that five main factors appeared to contribute to whether or not one may be at risk for heart attack:
- A healthy diet
- No smoking
- Being physical active (walking/bicycling more than 40 min/day and exercising more than 1 hour per week)
- Healthy waist circumference (<95 cm)
- Moderate alcohol consumption
This study, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology in September 2014, was a longitudinal research piece—that is, it followed a group of people in one country (Sweden) for a period of 11 years. At the end of the study, those who had engaged in those five specific healthy lifestyle habits, reduced their risk for developing heart disease by 79%.1
Another research study from about 10 years previous had similar findings. This research piece took a look at people from more than 50 countries across the world. Published in 2004 in the British journal Lancet, this study showed similar results, but also included factors related to diabetes and psycho-social factors. The research concluded that these factors accounted for 90% of reduced risk for heart attack in men and 94% in women.2
It is clear from looking at both new and old research that lifestyle habits play a large role in the potential for developing heart problems, and the risk for a heart attack could potentially be reduced by 79-90% by making a few simple—albeit sometimes challenging—lifestyle changes.
Lifestyle Changes to Boost Heart Health
Both of these studies have shown that our lifestyle choices play a significant role in whether or not we develop heart disease or could be prone to heart attacks.
