HHS HealthBeat (September 21, 2006)

Five things right

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I'm Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

Wouldn't it be nice if you could head off heart disease just by doing five things right?

Well, it is nice. Because researchers say middle-aged men who do these five things may lower their risk of one form of heart disease – clogged coronary arteries. Stephanie Chiuve of the Harvard School of Public Health:

"More than half of coronary heart disease may have been prevented by adherence to all five of these healthy lifestyle factors." (six seconds)

Her study in the journal Circulation was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

What are the factors? Not smoking, being physically active daily, drinking alcohol moderately, staying at a healthy weight – and eating right, which includes whole grains and does not include trans fats.

And if you don't do them all, Chiuve says you still can benefit by doing some.

Learn more at www.hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I'm Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: May 7, 2011