The secret to a long life? 80% of men could avoid a heart attack with just five simple lifestyle changes
Four out of five men could reduce
their risk of heart attacks by making lifestyle changes like stopping
smoking, taking exercise, switching to a healthy diet and drinking
alcohol moderately, Swedish researchers found
- Not smoking, taking exercise and drinking in moderation key to reducing risk
- Healthy diet and having a waist measuring below 37 inches also crucial
- Giving up each individual bad habit lowers the risk of heart attacks
- Reduced risk was observed even in men who took medication
Most heart attacks in men could be avoided by making five simple lifestyle changes, researchers claim.
Losing
the belly, cutting down on alcohol, walking for 40 minutes a day,
eating more fruit and veg and quitting smoking would drastically lower
their risk.
A study of 20,271 men found that four out of five heart attacks could have been prevented by taking these five basic steps.
Even making one change reduced their risk by up to a third – and if they made all five changes, their risk fell by 86 per cent.
Stopping smoking cut the risk by 36 per cent and a healthy diet did so by 25 per cent.
Drinking less than three units – or one-and-a-half pints – a day led to an 8 per cent fall.
Having
a waist measurement of less than 38in reduced the risk by 13 per cent,
while walking or biking for at least 40 minutes a day cut it by 7 per
cent. The more changes the men made, the greater the reduction in risk.
For example, if they ate a healthy diet and drank less, their risk went down by 35 per cent.
If
they exercised, followed a healthy diet and reduced their drinking, it
fell by 64 per cent, according to the study published in the Journal of
the American College of Cardiology.
The researchers, from Sweden, calculated that 80 per cent of heart attacks in men could be avoided through these changes.
Dr
Agneta Akesson, an associate professor at the Karolinska Institutet in
Stockholm, said: ‘It is not surprising that healthy lifestyle choices
would lead to a reduction in heart attacks. What is surprising is how
drastically the risk dropped.’
She
added: ‘It is important to note that these lifestyle behaviours are
modifiable, and changing from high-risk to low-risk behaviours can have
great impact on cardiovascular health. The best thing one can do is to
adopt healthy lifestyle choices early in life.’
The
researchers tracked the men – all aged 45 to 79 – for 11 years. At the
beginning of the study, they answered a series of questions about their
lifestyle.
Maureen
Talbot, senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, said:
‘Most heart attacks are caused by coronary heart disease, which is a
largely preventable condition. That’s why it’s important we’re all aware
of the health risks our lifestyles can lead to.
‘This
study provides even more evidence that stopping smoking, increasing
your physical activity, keeping your weight down and eating a balanced
diet is the way to a healthy heart. If you’re over 40, make sure to
visit your GP for a free heart health check – but do get checked out
sooner if you are having symptoms.’
Around 62,000 men have a heart attack each year in England, compared to 38,000 women.
The striking gender gap may be partly the result of genetics as well as differences in lifestyle.
Researchers
also think that many heart attacks in women are going undiagnosed
because they often do not experience typical symptoms, such as chest
pain.
Men with the optimum lifestyle walked
or cycled for 40 minutes a day, and the younger the men changed their
behaviour, the more protection against heart attacks they accrued
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