Harvard Health Publishing: Lifestyle changes to lower heart disease risk

In a new Harvard study of over 55,000 individuals, researchers found that those who participated in a healthy lifestyle, which they defined as non-smoking, non-obese, eating a healthy diet, and exercising regularly, saw a 50% decrease in their risk of heart disease. The American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the American Heart Association (AHA) published guidelines describing a healthy lifestyle to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease that includes specific dietary recommendations such as eating more vegetables, fruit, legumes, nuts, whole grains, and fish. They recommend you limit sodium, saturated fats, refined carbohydrates, sweetened beverages, processed meats, and completely avoid trans fats. A few additional key recommendations are to avoid excessive drinking, have a diet that abides by the “DASH diet” regulations to lower blood pressure, reducing consumption of saturated fats to reduce cholesterol, and engaging in at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise per week or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity per week.

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