What Science Tells Us

Blood Pressure

• Sixty–five million Americans have high blood pressure, and another 59 million are pre–hypertensive.¹
  
• A 12–13 point reduction in systolic blood pressure can reduce heart attacks by 21%, strokes by 37%, and all deaths from cardiovascular disease by 25%.2 Nearly 70% of people with high blood pressure do not have it under control.³
  
• The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) study has shown that following a healthy eating plan can both reduce a person's risk of developing high blood pressure and lower an already elevated blood pressure.⁴
  
• Medications can also help reduce high blood pressure.⁵

Cholesterol

• A 10% decrease in total blood cholesterol levels may reduce the incidence of coronary heart disease by as much as 30%.⁶ Only 18% of adults with high blood cholesterol have it under control.⁷
  
• Lowering saturated fat and increasing fiber in the diet, maintaining a healthy weight, and getting regular physical activity can reduce a person's risk for cardiovascular disease by helping to lower LDL (bad) cholesterol and raise HDL (good) cholesterol.⁸
  
• A class of drugs called statins can reduce deaths from heart disease by reducing cholesterol levels.⁹

Emergency Response

• Forty–seven percent of heart attack deaths occur before an ambulance arrives and 48% of stroke deaths occur before hospitalization.^{10, 11}
  
• Only 3%–10% of eligible stroke victims get the emergency therapy (tPA) that can lead to recovery.¹²

Tobacco

• Cigarette smokers are 2–4 times more likely than nonsmokers to develop coronary heart disease.¹³
  
• Cigarette smoking approximately doubles a person's risk for stroke.¹³
  
• People who quit smoking reduce their risk of death from cardiovascular disease by half within a few years.¹³
  
• Each year, secondhand smoke results in an estimated 35,000 deaths due to heart disease among nonsmokers.¹⁴

Nutrition¹⁵

• Fruits and vegetables are high in nutrients and fiber and relatively low in calories. A diet that is rich in fruits and vegetables can lower a person's risk of developing heart disease, stroke, and hypertension.
  
• Grain products provide complex carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and fiber. A diet high in grain products and fiber can help reduce a person's cholesterol level and risk of cardiovascular disease.
  
• Foods that are high in saturated fats (e.g., full–fat dairy products, fatty meats, tropical oils) raise cholesterol levels.
  
• People can lower their blood pressure by reducing the salt in their diets, losing weight, increasing physical activity, increasing potassium, and eating a diet rich in vegetables, fruit, and low–fat dairy products.

Physical Activity¹⁶

• Regular physical activity can decrease a person's risk of cardiovascular disease and prevent or delay the development of high blood pressure.
  
• People of all ages should get a minimum of 30 minutes of moderate–intensity physical activity (such as brisk walking) on most, if not all, days of the week.

Obesity^15,17

• Because people who are overweight or obese have an increased risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and hypertension, weight management can reduce a person's risk for these conditions.

Diabetes^17,18

• Adults with diabetes have heart disease death rates about 2 to 4 times higher than adults without diabetes, and the risk for stroke is 2 to 4 times higher among people with diabetes. About 65% of deaths among people with diabetes are due to heart disease and stroke.

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References

1. American Heart Association. Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics—2005 Update. (Dallas, Tex.: American Heart Association; 2005)

2. He J, Whelton PK. Elevated systolic blood pressure and risk of cardiovascular and renal diseases: overview of evidence from observational epidemiologic studies and randomized controlled trials. American Heart Journal 1999;138(3 Pt 2):211–219.

3. Chobanian AV, Bakris GL, Black HR, Cushman WC, Green LA, Izzo JL Jr, et al. Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure. Hypertension 2003;42:1206–1252.

4. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Facts About the DASH Eating Plan. National Institutes of Health, NHLBI: NIH Publication 04–4082. May 2003. Available at: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/hbp/dash/index.htm. Accessed July 25, 2004.

5. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. The Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on the Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure. May 2003. Available at: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/hypertension/express.pdf. (224K) Accessed August 11, 2004.

6. Cohen, JD. A population–based approach to cholesterol control. American Journal of Preventive Medicine 1997;102:23–25.

7. Ford ES, Mokdad AH, Giles WH, Mensah GA. Serum total cholesterol concentrations and awareness, treatment, and control of hypercholesterolemia among US adults. Findings from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1999 to 2000. Circulation 2003;107(17):2185–2189.

8. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. High Blood Cholesterol—What You Need to Know. National Institutes of Health, NHLBI: NIH Publication 01–3290. May 2001. Available at: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/chol/hbc_what.htm. Accessed July 26, 2004.

9. Wilt TJ, Bloomfield HE, MacDonald R, et al. Effectiveness of statin therapy in adults with coronary heart disease. Archives of Internal Medicine 2004 Jul 12; 164(13):1427–1436.

10. Ayala C, Croft JB, Keenan NL, et al. Increasing trends in pretransport stroke deaths—United States, 1009–1998. Ethnicity and Disease 200£;13(2 Suppl):S131–S137.

11. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. State–specific mortality from sudden cardiac death: United States, 1999. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports 2002;51(6):123–126.

12. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, rt–PA Stroke Study Group. Tissue plasminogen activator for acute ischemic stroke. New England Journal of Medicine 1995;333(24):1581–1587.

13. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Reducing the Health Consequences of Smoking — 25 Years of Progress: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, CDC; 1989. DHHS Pub. No. (CDC) 89–8411.

14. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Targeting Tobacco Use: The Nation’s Leading Cause of Death. At A Glance 2004. Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; 2004.

15. Krauss RM, Eckel RH, Howard B, et al. (2000) AHA Dietary Guidelines. Revision 2000: A Statement for Healthcare Professionals from the Nutrition Committee of the American Heart Association. Circulation 2000;102(18):2284–2299.

16. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Physical Activity and Health. A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; 1996.

17. National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. Clinical guidelines on the identification, evaluation, and treatment of overweight and obesity in adults: the evidence report. Bethesda, MD: National Institutes of Health. NIH pub N0 98–4083. September 1998. Available at: www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/obesity/ob_gdlns.htm. Accessed 1 Feb 2005.

18. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Diabetes Fact Sheet. Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; 2003.

 
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Date last reviewed: 05/12/2006
Content source: Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion