Friday, February 17, 2023 l No. 11
Contributors: Subhashish Agarwal, MD; Sally Hegwood Vliet, MA; Aimee Welsh, MD
Aimee Welsh, MD, FACC, Cardiology, Medical College of Wisconsin
How does your lifestyle impact your heart's health?
Cardiovascular disease (disease of the heart and blood vessels) including coronary artery disease, stroke, congestive heart failure, and arrhythmias, is the leading cause of death in the US for both men and women. The vast majority of CVD is due to unhealthy lifestyle habits, especially poor nutrition and lack of physical activity. The good news is that 80-90% of CVD is preventable.
Major risk factors for CVD include high cholesterol, high blood pressure, insulin resistance/diabetes, being overweight or obese, being sedentary, smoking, alcohol, poor sleep, poor stress management, and poor social connections.
Focusing on managing these chronic medical conditions and other risk factors with healthy lifestyle behaviors and pharmaceutical medications when appropriate can greatly reduce your risk of developing CVD including catastrophic events like heart attack and stroke.
Know your numbers for ideal cardiovascular health
- LDL cholesterol less than 70 mg/dL or total cholesterol less than 150mg/dL (untreated)
- Blood pressure less than 120/80 mmHg (untreated)
- Fasting blood glucose less than 100 mg/dL (untreated) or hemoglobin A1c less than 5.6%
- Body mass index between 18-25 kg/m2
- Waist circumference
- For men: Less than 37 inches (94 cm)
- For women: Less than 31.5 inches (80 cm)
- Physical activity at goal: 300 minutes per week of moderate intensity, 150 minutes per week of vigorous intensity, or combination
- Abstain from smoking
- Limit alcohol consumption as much as possible. Maximum limit 1 drink a day for women and 2 drinks per day for men
- Sleep 7-9 hours a night
Curb your CVD risk with nutrition and fitness.
Five decades of nutrition science research have consistently demonstrated that a whole foods, plant-based diet is the most healthful diet. Physical inactivity is one of the leading modifiable risk factors for CVD, cancer, and overall mortality world-wide. Click here to learn Dr. Welsh's Dos & Don'ts for Nutrition and Exercise.
Subhashish Agarwal, MD, MS, FACC, Cardiology, Medical College of Wisconsin
What is the state of heart health in 2023?
As far as memory goes, CVD has been the number one killer since 1917. We have had great increase in knowledge, explosion of technological advancements, increased diagnostic and genetic tools, improved arsenal of surgical, percutaneous, and pharmaceutical armamentarium. So where we are today? What is the state of health in the year 2023?
According to the numbers, we are still in the grasp of an ever-worsening CVD epidemic or should I dare say, pandemic. In the US alone, 2,500 deaths are due to CVD every day, with an average death every 34 seconds due to CVD in the US alone. Globally, 19 million succumb to CVD every year.
Roughly 30 million in the US have diagnosed diabetes and another 10 million are undiagnosed, with 100+ million in the pre-diabetes stage. These numbers certainly seem pessimistic. Almost half of our adult population suffers from hypertension and 25% of adults have high cholesterol levels.
Do you see a ray of hope? I am certainly very optimistic, but much more work remains to be done. However, I find hope in the fact that 10% of Americans are adopting a healthy lifestyle and diet. This is where we can make a large impact. In fact, large studies have shown that adopting a lifestyle as advocated by health societies such as the American Heart Association's Life's Simple 8 and the six pillars promoted by the American Society of Lifestyle Medicine can reduce or prevent the burden of CVD by 90%, diabetes by 91%, and stroke by 80%. Through regular physical activity, eating a healthier diet, sleeping better, mindfulness, positive relationships and by not smoking, it is possible to profoundly reduce the risk of heart attack in both sexes and all age groups.
Plant-based Inspiration
Try the World's Healthiest Flat Bread Pizza recipe from Dr. Agarwal and learn about the health benefits while you cook. This recipe is definitely heart healthy!
Cool Food Pledge Do you work at a Froedtert hospital or will you be visiting one? Be sure to check out the food options and look for the Cool Food logo. Froedtert recently took the Cool Food Pledge, and is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions via the food they serve.
Medical College of Wisconsin | 8701 Watertown Plank Road | Milwaukee, WI 53226 | United States
You are receiving this email because you are subscribed to Nutrition for the New Year.
© 2022 Medical College of Wisconsin. All rights reserved.
Connect with MCW on Social
