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Subscribe to RSSAmerica's progress in the fight against heart disease could be slowed by unhealthy habits, according to a new report.
The American Heart Association's current goal is to reduce the rate of death from heart disease by 20 percent by 2020, but if current trends continue, the rate may improve only by 6 percent, the AHA said in its report.
Between 1999 and 2009, the rate fell about 33 percent, the AHA noted.
Although rates of smoking, high cholesterol and high blood pressure are expected to decline, these improvements may be offset by increases in obesity and diabetes, coupled with only small changes in diet and exercise, the report said.
"Americans need to move a lot more, eat healthier and less, and manage risk factors as soon as they develop,” said Dr. Alan Go, chairman of the report's writing committee. “If not, we’ll quickly lose the momentum we’ve gained in reducing heart attack and stroke rates and improving survival over the last few decades." In 2009, cardiovascular disease accounted for about one in three deaths in the U.S.
Currently, 68.2 percent of adults are overweight, and more adults are obese than are either normal weight or underweight (34.6 percent compared with 31.8 percent), the report said. Twenty-two percent of adults do not exercise at all. Among high school students, 17 percent of girls and 10 percent of boys said they exercised for less than an hour during the past week.
The AHA said it is working to help build healthier communities by improving access to healthy foods and parks.
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Another stupid title for an article. If I had heart disease, I'd love to ruin it's progress.
Now Now, we all know that smoking cessation will result in much longer lives and much richer nursing home owners.
That's because cholesterol levels and high-fat diets have NOTHING to do with heart disease. Obesity and T2D are strongly related to sugar and carbohydrate consumption, along with triglyceride increases. One of these days the medical community will stop listening to the pharmaceutical-based propaganda and start READING the research.
It all boils down to how how many grapes, pop tarts and crackers you eat. The interaction of these three items account for 90% of all disease.
Suggest we stop cannes and pre-prepared food from entering the market. Big brother should be able to do that!