-------- Original Message --------
97% of Americans Have Unhealthy Hearts – Here are 7 Solutions
by Mike Barrett
February 27th, 2013 | Updated 02/28/2013 at 12:50 am
According to a study published in the Journal of the American Heart
Association, 97% of Americans have poor heart health. Seeing as America
ranks last when compared to 16 other comparable countries, it is no surprise
to see that only 3% of the U.S. population have healthy hearts.
For the study, which is the first to focus on cardiovascular health at a
state level, researchers examined surveys taken from over 350,000
individuals. They focused on what the American Heart Association deems the
most important factors for heart health:
a.. Smoking
b.. Diabetes
c.. Body mass index
d.. Blood Pressure
e.. Physical activity
f.. Fruit and vegetable consumption
g.. Total cholesterol
While the results varied from state to state, it was found that just 3% of
the entire surveyed population reported having ideal heart health, while
about 10% reported having poor heart health. Poor heart health was
represented by having only 1 or 2 heart-health factors at optimal levels.
Jing Fang, M.D., M.S., an epidemiologist with the CDC's Division for Heart
Disease and Stroke Prevention in Atlanta, Ga, says, "Americans reported
having on average more than four of the seven risk factors for heart
disease. We also found large disparities by age, sex, race/ethnicity and
levels of education."
Donna Arnett, Ph.D., president of the American Heart Association and author
of an editorial that accompanies the Fang paper in JAHA concludes:
"The comparisons offered by Fang and colleagues illustrate a critical
point: Cardiovascular health status in the United States varies considerably
by age, sex, race/ethnicity and education as well as by state. This
diversity necessitates that innovative, customized strategies be developed
to most effectively improve cardiovascular health for specific states and
among subpopulations."
How to Really Boost Heart Health
While many of the factors outlined by the American Heart Association are
indeed risk factors for heart disease, some don't address the underlining
issue. Blood pressure, diabetes, and total cholesterol and BMI (which aren't
entirely relevant anyway), can all be mended with proper diet and physical
activity. Let's take a look at each factor individually:
a.. Smoking – As the harsh truths about smoking continue to surface, there
is no question that Big Tobacco's time is slowly running out. For both
smokers and those ingesting second-hand smoke, heart health suffers, and
heart disease risk increases. Luckily, you can stop this health-hazardous
activity just by making a choice. What will happen when you quit smoking is
incredibly beneficial, with the risk of coronary heart disease and heart
attacks reducing significantly within just 1 year of quitting.
a.. Diabetes – Anything from inactivity to consuming way to much sugar
could spike your risk of diabetes and compromise heart health. The answer?
Live a healthy lifestyle by exercising regularly, consuming fruits and
vegetables, and limiting sugar consumption. To further reduce your risk of
diabetes or even reverse you could try utilizing magnesium, turmeric, herbs
like fenugreek, ginseng, or cinnamon for diabetes (a very popular solution).
a.. Body Mass Index – Body mass index, which is a measure of body fat
based on height and weight, is currently the primary way to determine if a
person is at a healthy "thickness" or "thinness". But is isn't a great
indicator. Many studies have found that a high BMI is associated with a
lower risk of death, which is a bit paradoxical. What should be known,
though, is that waist size is seen as an indicator for heart attack risk.
What this ultimately means is that most people need to lose weight to
promote heart health.
a.. Blood Pressure – Like diabetes, blood pressure can very often be
mended through physical activity and diet. Start by avoiding foods with
fructose, soda, and processed foods while incorporating more fruit, veggies,
potatoes, vitamin C, potassium, papayas, chocolate, apples (with the skin),
olive oil, or a number of other foods into your diet. Further, aim for
around 7 hours of sleep each night.
a.. Physical Activity – Sadly, most Americans are physically inactive,
which contributes to just about every illness and disease. Not only will
exercise reduce diabetes risk, the desire to smoke, obesity (BMI in many
cases), and promote heart health, but it will add years to your life.
a.. Fruit and Vegetable Consumption – Unlike other health 'fads' or
'trends', the health recommendation to consume more fruit and vegetables to
optimize health is one that has lived on even until today – and it will
continue to. Fruit and vegetables are whole foods containing numerous
vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, and other essential nutrients, without
any added ingredients. This is nature's gift that has been proven time and
time again to boost overall health. Vegans and vegetarians recognize this
fact; it's time for the rest of the population to recognize it as well.
a.. Total Cholesterol – The AHA will have you believe that high
cholesterol levels are a heavy indicator for heart health and heart disease
risk, but this cholesterol myth has long been debunked. If you would like to
maintain 'healthy' total cholesterol levels to still feel better, though,
simply consume more fruit and vegetables, spicy foods, papaya extract,
almonds, watermelons, or tangerines, to name a few specific foods.
With heart health at such low levels, it's no surprise to see countless
people turning to pharmaceuticals like statins. Don't be one to fall for
this trick. Statins are linked to over 300 different adverse side effects,
and are not necessary to boost heart health. One doctor has even found in
his research that lifestyle changes can be as (if not more) effective than
statins at maintaining healthy cholesterol levels. Adherence to statins,
Ornish says, is only about 30% after 3-4 months. An intensive lifestyle
change program including diet and exercise, however, has about 85 to 90%
adherence after 12 months.
Take control and boost heart health by eating organic, exercising, and
consuming plenty of healthful foods.
Additional Sources:
NewsRoom.Heart.org
MedicalNewsToday
Heart.org
CNN
CDC.gov
AlmondBoard
DoctorOz
Read more:
http://naturalsociety.com/97-percent-americans-have-unhealthy-hearts/#ixzz2MFYazjDP
http://naturalsociety.com/97-percent-americans-have-unhealthy-hearts/?utm_source=Natural+Society&utm_campaign=645ae1b048-Email+108%3A+2%2F28%2F2013&utm_medium=email
| Subject: | Multi-D News : 97% of Americans have Unhealthy Hearts - 7 Solutions |
|---|---|
| Date: | Thu, 7 Mar 2013 13:29:22 -0500 |
| From: | Lucky <luckypig@infionline.net> |
by Mike Barrett
February 27th, 2013 | Updated 02/28/2013 at 12:50 am
According to a study published in the Journal of the American Heart
Association, 97% of Americans have poor heart health. Seeing as America
ranks last when compared to 16 other comparable countries, it is no surprise
to see that only 3% of the U.S. population have healthy hearts.
For the study, which is the first to focus on cardiovascular health at a
state level, researchers examined surveys taken from over 350,000
individuals. They focused on what the American Heart Association deems the
most important factors for heart health:
a.. Smoking
b.. Diabetes
c.. Body mass index
d.. Blood Pressure
e.. Physical activity
f.. Fruit and vegetable consumption
g.. Total cholesterol
While the results varied from state to state, it was found that just 3% of
the entire surveyed population reported having ideal heart health, while
about 10% reported having poor heart health. Poor heart health was
represented by having only 1 or 2 heart-health factors at optimal levels.
Jing Fang, M.D., M.S., an epidemiologist with the CDC's Division for Heart
Disease and Stroke Prevention in Atlanta, Ga, says, "Americans reported
having on average more than four of the seven risk factors for heart
disease. We also found large disparities by age, sex, race/ethnicity and
levels of education."
Donna Arnett, Ph.D., president of the American Heart Association and author
of an editorial that accompanies the Fang paper in JAHA concludes:
"The comparisons offered by Fang and colleagues illustrate a critical
point: Cardiovascular health status in the United States varies considerably
by age, sex, race/ethnicity and education as well as by state. This
diversity necessitates that innovative, customized strategies be developed
to most effectively improve cardiovascular health for specific states and
among subpopulations."
How to Really Boost Heart Health
While many of the factors outlined by the American Heart Association are
indeed risk factors for heart disease, some don't address the underlining
issue. Blood pressure, diabetes, and total cholesterol and BMI (which aren't
entirely relevant anyway), can all be mended with proper diet and physical
activity. Let's take a look at each factor individually:
a.. Smoking – As the harsh truths about smoking continue to surface, there
is no question that Big Tobacco's time is slowly running out. For both
smokers and those ingesting second-hand smoke, heart health suffers, and
heart disease risk increases. Luckily, you can stop this health-hazardous
activity just by making a choice. What will happen when you quit smoking is
incredibly beneficial, with the risk of coronary heart disease and heart
attacks reducing significantly within just 1 year of quitting.
a.. Diabetes – Anything from inactivity to consuming way to much sugar
could spike your risk of diabetes and compromise heart health. The answer?
Live a healthy lifestyle by exercising regularly, consuming fruits and
vegetables, and limiting sugar consumption. To further reduce your risk of
diabetes or even reverse you could try utilizing magnesium, turmeric, herbs
like fenugreek, ginseng, or cinnamon for diabetes (a very popular solution).
a.. Body Mass Index – Body mass index, which is a measure of body fat
based on height and weight, is currently the primary way to determine if a
person is at a healthy "thickness" or "thinness". But is isn't a great
indicator. Many studies have found that a high BMI is associated with a
lower risk of death, which is a bit paradoxical. What should be known,
though, is that waist size is seen as an indicator for heart attack risk.
What this ultimately means is that most people need to lose weight to
promote heart health.
a.. Blood Pressure – Like diabetes, blood pressure can very often be
mended through physical activity and diet. Start by avoiding foods with
fructose, soda, and processed foods while incorporating more fruit, veggies,
potatoes, vitamin C, potassium, papayas, chocolate, apples (with the skin),
olive oil, or a number of other foods into your diet. Further, aim for
around 7 hours of sleep each night.
a.. Physical Activity – Sadly, most Americans are physically inactive,
which contributes to just about every illness and disease. Not only will
exercise reduce diabetes risk, the desire to smoke, obesity (BMI in many
cases), and promote heart health, but it will add years to your life.
a.. Fruit and Vegetable Consumption – Unlike other health 'fads' or
'trends', the health recommendation to consume more fruit and vegetables to
optimize health is one that has lived on even until today – and it will
continue to. Fruit and vegetables are whole foods containing numerous
vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, and other essential nutrients, without
any added ingredients. This is nature's gift that has been proven time and
time again to boost overall health. Vegans and vegetarians recognize this
fact; it's time for the rest of the population to recognize it as well.
a.. Total Cholesterol – The AHA will have you believe that high
cholesterol levels are a heavy indicator for heart health and heart disease
risk, but this cholesterol myth has long been debunked. If you would like to
maintain 'healthy' total cholesterol levels to still feel better, though,
simply consume more fruit and vegetables, spicy foods, papaya extract,
almonds, watermelons, or tangerines, to name a few specific foods.
With heart health at such low levels, it's no surprise to see countless
people turning to pharmaceuticals like statins. Don't be one to fall for
this trick. Statins are linked to over 300 different adverse side effects,
and are not necessary to boost heart health. One doctor has even found in
his research that lifestyle changes can be as (if not more) effective than
statins at maintaining healthy cholesterol levels. Adherence to statins,
Ornish says, is only about 30% after 3-4 months. An intensive lifestyle
change program including diet and exercise, however, has about 85 to 90%
adherence after 12 months.
Take control and boost heart health by eating organic, exercising, and
consuming plenty of healthful foods.
Additional Sources:
NewsRoom.Heart.org
MedicalNewsToday
Heart.org
CNN
CDC.gov
AlmondBoard
DoctorOz
Read more:
http://naturalsociety.com/97-percent-americans-have-unhealthy-hearts/#ixzz2MFYazjDP
http://naturalsociety.com/97-percent-americans-have-unhealthy-hearts/?utm_source=Natural+Society&utm_campaign=645ae1b048-Email+108%3A+2%2F28%2F2013&utm_medium=email
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