Heart-Healthy Lifestyle

"Heart disease is a food-borne illness." — Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn

Fast Facts

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Fast Facts 〰️

  • The most common form of heart disease in the United States is coronary artery disease (CDC).

  • Key risk factors of Heart Disease: (CDC)

    • High blood pressure

    • High blood cholesterol

    • Smoking

  • About half of the people in the United States (47%) have at least one of these three risk factors (CDC).

There is growing evidence that there are associations between heart disease and cancer in terms of shared risk factors.

    • Nearly 20 million people in the United States - about 6% of the population - are cancer survivors (Harvard Health Publishing)

    • “Despite what you might assume, these people are actually more likely to die of heart disease than from cancer-related complications,” - Dr. Anju Nohria, director of the cardio-oncology program at Harvard-affiliated Dana-Farber Brigman Cancer Center

    • The two diseases share many root causes. (Harvard Health Publishing)

      • Tobacco use is widely known to raise the risk of both heart disease and cancer

      • Some experts believe obesity may soon surpass cigarette smoking as the number one preventable cause of cancer.

      • Diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure are connected to both heart disease and cancer

Prevention

Lifestyle Changes That Can Help Reduce Shared Health Risk Factors

01
Heart-Healthy Diet

02
Eliminating smoking

03
Managing conditions and appropriately taking medications