In case you haven’t heard, cardiovascular disease is magnificently preventable. A handle of minor changes will send your risk plummeting; a full blown lifestyle overhaul will probably make it more likely that you’d get struck by lightning than die of a heart attack.
Based on this particular study, the odds are that you have NOT heard that you can prevent heart disease. They asked 1702 participants to identify 7 factors that the AHA feels contribute to heart disease. These 7 components included health behaviors (not smoking, regular exercise, and healthy diet) and health factors (ideal body mass index, cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood glucose). The least identified factors were exercise, fruit / veggie consumption and diabetes. Seriously? No one knew that exercise could lower your risk of heart disease? Maybe the message that we can prevent heart disease is still remaining as a deep dark secret? The proverbial pink elephant in the room?
The bottom line is that heart disease is very easy to avoid if you focus on some important concepts. Exercise, stress management, increased intake of omega 3 fasts along with decreased intake of omega 6 fats, high phytonutrient / low calorie diet and targeted supplementation using things like Vitamin D and fish oils.