{"id":1078,"date":"2026-08-17T20:53:12","date_gmt":"2026-08-17T20:53:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/flavorguide.delicedcook.com\/?p=1078"},"modified":"2026-08-17T20:53:12","modified_gmt":"2026-08-17T20:53:12","slug":"80-of-heart-attacks-could-be-prevented-if-everyone-did-these-5-easy-things","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/flavorguide.delicedcook.com\/?p=1078","title":{"rendered":"80% of heart attacks could be prevented if everyone did these 5 easy things"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Heart disease claims the lives of approximately 1 million Americans each year, making it the leading cause of death for both men and women. The most common form of heart disease is coronary artery disease, which can lead to a heart attack .<\/p>\n

This year alone, 920,000 Americans will have a heart attack, and nearly half of them will occur suddenly without warning.\u00a01<\/sup><\/p>\n

A heart attack occurs when blood flow to a part of your heart is blocked. This is often the result of plaque buildup in your arteries (atherosclerosis), which can rupture and form a blood clot that blocks blood flow.<\/p>\n

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If the blockage is not cleared quickly, part of your heart muscle begins to die and be replaced by scar tissue, which can cause serious problems in the future.<\/p>\n

For example, a past heart attack (especially if a large part of your heart has been damaged) is a risk factor for sudden cardiac arrest, which is caused by abnormal heart rhythms and can be fatal.<\/p>\n

5 lifestyle changes could prevent 80% of heart attacks
\nfruit-1095331_12801<\/p>\n

It\u2019s remarkable that heart attacks are so common and cause so much pain (both physical and emotional) and disability, yet they are almost always preventable. You\u2019re probably already aware that your lifestyle plays a role in your risk of heart disease (and heart attacks), but perhaps you haven\u2019t yet taken it to heart\u2026Heart disease and hypertension<\/p>\n

If you need motivation, consider a new study conducted at the Karolinska Institute. It found that engaging in five healthy lifestyle habits could prevent nearly 80 percent of first-time heart attacks in men. Even the researchers were surprised by the power a healthy lifestyle could be, noting: 3<\/p>\n

However, this is not the first time such a drastic reduction in risk has been discovered. The INTERHEART 2004 study, which examined cardiac risk factors for heart disease in more than 50 countries worldwide, revealed that 90 percent of heart disease cases are completely preventable through dietary and lifestyle modifications.\u00a04<\/sup><\/p>\n

Unfortunately, most people don\u2019t use lifestyle habits to their advantage. The study presented involved men aged 45 to 79\u2026 and only 1 percent of them engaged in the five \u201clow-risk\u201d behaviors that could prevent a heart attack. So, what are the five healthy lifestyle habits?<\/p>\n

A healthy diet
\nBe physically active (walking\/cycling \u226540 min\/day and exercising \u22651 hr\/week)
\nHealthy waist circumference (waist circumference <95 cm or 37.4 inches)
\nModerate alcohol consumption (10 to 30 g\/day)
\nNO SMOKING
\nWhat constitutes a heart-healthy diet?<\/p>\n

Most heart-healthy lifestyle habits are self-explanatory, but the term \u201chealthy eating\u201d is ambiguous\u2026 and when it comes to heart health, it\u2019s probably not what you think. Contrary to popular belief, refined carbohydrates, sugar, and processed foods are the real culprits\u2014 not the saturated fats found in foods like butter, lard, or eggs.Diseases<\/p>\n

Part of the confusion surrounding fats revolves around their impact on LDL cholesterol, often referred to as \u201cbad\u201d cholesterol. According to the conventional view, high LDL is correlated with heart disease, and saturated fats tend to raise LDL. However, we now understand that there are two types of LDL cholesterol particles:<\/p>\n

LDL cholesterol is small and dense
\nHigh and low LDL cholesterol
\nThe latter is not \u201cbad\u201d at all. Studies have confirmed that large LDL particles do not contribute to heart disease . Small, dense LDL particles, however, do contribute to plaque buildup in the arteries, and trans fats increase small, dense LDL. Saturated fats, on the other hand, increase large, light LDL.<\/p>\n

Most importantly, research has also shown that small, dense LDL particles are increased by eating sugar and refined carbohydrates, such as bread, bagels, and sodas. Together, trans fats and refined carbohydrates do more harm than saturated fats alone.Anatomy<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, when the cholesterol hypothesis took hold, the food industry switched to low-fat foods, replacing healthy saturated fats like butter and lard with harmful trans fats (hydrogenated vegetable oils, margarine, etc.), and lots of refined sugar and processed fructose .<\/p>\n

The ever-increasing rates of obesity and heart disease clearly illustrate the ramifications of this flawed approach. I recently interviewed Dr. Fred Kummerow on this topic. If you missed it, I highly recommend you take a moment to listen to it now.<\/p>\n

A truly heart-healthy diet
\nIf you want to protect your heart, you must avoid trans fats by eliminating all processed foods (which also includes most restaurant food). You also need to address your insulin and leptin resistance , which is a result of a diet too high in sugars and grains. To reduce your risk of heart disease , you should follow the suggestions below, which are explained in detail in my nutrition plan .<\/p>\n

Avoid sugar, refined fructose, and grains. In practical terms, this means you should avoid most processed foods.
\nEat a healthy diet with whole foods, ideally organic, and replace the carbohydrates in grains with:
\nLarge quantities of vegetables
\nA low to moderate amount of high-quality protein (think organic farming, pasture-raised animals)
\nHigh-quality healthy fats (saturated and monounsaturated from animal sources and tropical oils). Most people actually need to increase fats to 50 to 85 percent of their diet for optimal health\u2014far higher than the currently recommended 10 percent. Sources of healthy fats to add to your diet include:
\nLawyers Butter made from organic, grass-fed raw milk Raw dairy products Organic pasture-raised egg yolks
\nCoconut and coconut oil Unheated organic walnut oils Raw nuts, such as almonds, pecans, macadamia nuts, and seeds Grass-fed meats
\nMaintaining a balanced omega-3 to omega-6 ratio is also crucial for heart health , as these fatty acids help build the cells lining your arteries that produce prostacyclin, the hormone that allows your blood to flow smoothly. Omega-3 deficiency can cause or contribute to very serious health problems, both mental and physical, and may be a significant underlying factor in up to 96,000 premature deaths each year. You can improve your omega-3 intake by avoiding most vegetable oils and increasing your consumption of small, wild-caught oily fish (such as sardines and anchovies) or by taking a high-quality krill oil supplement.Social Sciences<\/p>\n

Should you eat more fruit for your heart?<\/p>\n

A study presented this year at the ESC Congress in Barcelona, \u200b\u200bSpain, found that people who ate fruit every day had a 40 percent lower risk of heart disease and a 32 percent lower risk of death from all causes than those who did not. Furthermore, the more fruit they ate, the lower their risk of heart disease became.\u00a05\u00a0<\/sup>Fruit can be an excellent source of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and other phytochemicals, many of which have anti-inflammatory effects that are good for cardiovascular health. For example, research published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ)\u00a06\u00a0<\/sup>found that simply eating one apple a day can help prevent cardiovascular deaths in people over 50 to a similar degree as taking a statin daily.\u00a0<\/sup><\/p>\n

I would like to caution against excessive fruit consumption, however, especially the sweet fruits that are so common today. Many of the most beneficial phytonutrients found in fruit actually taste bitter, sour, or astringent and are located in the skin and seeds. To satisfy modern palates, farmers have, over time, selectively bred the sweetest varieties, making fruit far less nutritious than it once was. Still, carefully chosen fruits\u2014such as apples, blueberries, and organic cherries\u2014can certainly be beneficial when eaten in moderation. Fruits contain varying levels of fructose, and you should avoid overconsumption of fructose to protect your heart . My recommendations regarding fruit (and fructose consumption) are as follows:Heart disease and hypertension<\/p>\n

If you are insulin or leptin resistant (overweight, diabetic, hypertensive, or have high cholesterol), which includes about 80 percent of Americans, then it would be best for you to limit your fruit intake. As a general rule, I recommend limiting your fructose intake to a maximum of 15 grams per day from all sources, including whole fruits. You can find a chart of fructose levels in common fruits here .<\/p>\n

If you are not insulin or leptin resistant (have a normal weight without diabetes, hypertension, or high cholesterol) and you regularly engage in physical activity or strenuous manual labor, increased fructose consumption is unlikely to cause health problems . In this case, you can probably eat more fruit without worrying too much.
\nHowever, if you fall into category two above, you might benefit from further refinement. Fruit will still raise your blood sugar levels, and many experts believe this increases protein glycosylation. Therefore, my approach is to consume fruit generally after a workout, as your body will use the sugar for fuel rather than raising your blood sugar levels.
\nFurthermore, if you\u2019re an endurance athlete, you can probably get away with eating large amounts of fruit since your body will use most of the glucose during exercise, and it won\u2019t be stored as fat. (That said, I still believe athletes would be wise to consider becoming fat-adapted rather than relying on fast-acting sugars.)
\nIf you are still unsure how rigorous you need to be, have your uric acid levels checked and use them as a guide.
\nDiabetes medications increase the risk of heart disease
\nMetformin, a drug that makes your body\u2019s tissues more sensitive to insulin, is one of the most common diabetes medications on the market. However, a new study shows that among people with hypothyroidism , metformin use has been associated with an increased risk of low TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone).\u00a08<\/sup>\u00a0If your TSH level becomes too low, it can cause serious damage, including heart problems such as atrial fibrillation, which could lead to congestive heart failure.\u00a09<\/sup>\u00a0Independent research has also shown that treating type 2 diabetes with blood sugar-lowering drugs has actually shown the potential to increase your risk of death from heart disease and other causes. The researchers noted:\u00a010<\/sup><\/p>\n

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