According to a new study, healthy lifestyle can help cut down the risk of heart attack in men by up to 80 percent. Observing health practices, including maintaining a good weight through diet, proper exercise whilst staying away from smoking and moderating alcohol intake, can prevent four out of five coronary events in men.
According to lead author of the study, Agneta Akesson, associate professor at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, it is not surprising that healthy lifestyle choices would lead to a reduction in heart attacks but what is surprising is how drastically the risk dropped due to these factors.
For the study, the researchers examined a population of 20,721 healthy Swedish men aged 45-79 years of age and followed them for 11 years. Men in the study with the lowest risk were those who do not smoke, who walked or cycled for at least 40 minutes every day, who exercised at least one hour per week, who have a waist circumference of below 95 centimeters and who consumed moderate amounts of alcohol.
They also followed a healthy diet with a regular consumption of fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, reduced-fat dairy products, whole grains and fish.
Furthermore, avoiding stress has been found out to lessen one's risk of coronary problems. Cholesterol levels fluctuate significantly with a change in seasons. During the winter, cholesterol levels are likely to be higher than normal. If one is borderline high cholesterol, the person is at a greater risk of suffering from cardiovascular diseases during the winter months.
Therefore it is essential that, apart from managing cholesterol levels, one must avoid stressing the heart out, which bears the brunt of high cholesterol levels.
Experts also advise against exhausting one's self at work or in just about anything. Giving one's self a time to relax through a hobby after a demanding week is a good start. In fact, frequent yet short "off the monitor" breaks during a whole work day has been proven to be very helpful as well. Resting between long shifts renews heart energy to have sufficient amount of strength for the next activity.
A walk under the sun is not only fun, but it gets in a healthy cardio exercise into one's day as well. The air is healthier for the lungs during the warmer days of spring and summer than the chilly days of fall and winter. Regulated and regular cardio from hikes regulates blood pressure and heart rate, resulting to a healthier heart.