Understanding Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors

"Following expert guidance can be your prescription for better health as 80% of heart disease and stroke is preventable. To help maintain and improve your cardiovascular health, consider following the American Heart Association's Life's Essential 8, which is a set of four health behaviors (eat better, be more active, quit tobacco and get healthy sleep) and four health factors (manage weight, control cholesterol, manage blood sugar and manage blood pressure)."

"In the United States, optimal Life's Essential 8 scores could prevent up to 40% of annual all-cause and cardiovascular disease deaths among adults. Heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the U.S. and stroke is the No. 4 leading cause of death. Together, heart disease and stroke accounted for more than a quarter of all deaths in the U.S. in 2023."

"Cardiovascular diseases, including all types of heart disease and stroke, claim more lives in the U.S. each year than all forms of cancer and accidental deaths - the Nos. 2 and 3 causes of death - combined. On average, every 34 seconds, someone died of cardiovascular disease in 2023."

Heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the United States, with cardiovascular diseases claiming more lives annually than cancer and accidental deaths combined. While deaths from heart disease and stroke are declining, rates of high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity continue to rise. The American Heart Association's 2026 statistics show that cardiovascular disease causes one death every 34 seconds. However, 80% of heart disease and stroke cases are preventable through following the Life's Essential 8 framework, which combines four health behaviors—eating better, increased physical activity, tobacco cessation, and healthy sleep—with four health factors: weight management, cholesterol control, blood sugar management, and blood pressure control. Implementing these guidelines could prevent up to 40% of annual cardiovascular and all-cause deaths among American adults.

Read at Alternative Medicine Magazine