National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
Adds New Resources on Heart Health
A recent national survey shows that only 3 percent of U.S. adults
practice all of the “big four” habits to help prevent
heart disease: eating a healthy diet, getting regular physical activity,
maintaining a healthy weight, and not smoking. The National Heart,
Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of
Health has combined the latest information and guidance on all of
the factors that increase risk for heart disease—or may contribute
to worsening heart disease—into two new heart health guidebooks
for men and women.
“In the United States, heart disease is the number one killer
of both women and men,” says NHLBI Director Elizabeth G. Nabel,
M.D. “But the good news is that there are many things individuals
can do to reduce their risks of heart disease.”
“Your Guide to a Healthy Heart” includes
a detailed action plan for heart health. “Your Guide
to Living Well With Heart Disease,” is designed to
help those with heart disease make decisions to protect and improve
their heart health. Both guides provide specific information on
lifestyle changes and treatments that can lessen a person’s
chances of having a heart attack—either a first attack or
a repeat one.
Heart disease prevention advice in Your Guide to a Healthy Heart”
includes tips on choosing health foods, starting and sticking to
an exercise program, and breaking the smoking habit. Features include
how to eat healthy while dining out, reading food labels and making
substitutions for limiting saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol,
basics on the DASH eating plan, and a 12-week walking program.
In addition to the guidebooks, two fact sheets titled “In
Brief: Your Guide to a Healthy Heart” and “In Brief:
Your Guide to Living Well with Heart Disease” highlight the
basics for heart health. There are many things men and women can
do to reduce their risk for heart disease.
- Don’t smoke, and if you do, quit. People who
smoke are up to six times more likely to suffer a heart attack
than non-smokers.
- Aim for a healthy weight. It’s important for
a long, vigorous life. Overweight and obesity cause many preventable
deaths.
- Get moving. Make a commitment to be more physically
active. Aim for 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity on most,
preferably all, days of the week.
- Eat for heart health. Choose a diet that is low in
saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol. Be sure to include
whole grains, vegetables, and fruits.
- Know your numbers. Ask your doctor to check your blood
pressure, cholesterol (total, HDL, LDL, triglycerides), and blood
glucose. Work with your doctor to improve any numbers that are
not normal.
The guides are available for ordering through the NHLBI Information
Center, (301) 301-592-8573 or 240-629-3255 (TTY) or online at http://emall.nhlbihin.net/
Part of the National Institutes of Health, the National Heart,
Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) plans, conducts, and supports
research related to the causes, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment
of heart, blood vessel, lung, and blood diseases; and sleep disorders.
The Institute also administers national health education campaigns
on women and heart disease, healthy weight for children, and other
topics. NHLBI press releases and other materials are available online
at: www.nhlbi.nih.gov.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) — The Nation's
Medical Research Agency — includes 27 Institutes and Centers
and is a component of the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services.
It is the primary federal agency for conducting and supporting
basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and it investigates
the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases.
For more information about NIH and its programs, visit http://www.nih.gov
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