Attention to heart health is the goal of the annual American Heart Awareness Month in February, with its focus on raising awareness and promoting healthy lifestyles.
One in five deaths each year is the result of heart disease, according to “2025 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics: A Report of U.S. and Global Data from the American Heart Association,” an article published in Circulation, the association’s scientific journal. The problem is anticipated to worsen in the next 25 years.
Heart disease, noted Dr. Brett A. Sealove, chief of cardiology at Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center, is the number one killer in the western world.
“American Heart Awareness Month is a time to promote prevention, screening and awareness to empower patients,” he said. “Heart disease is, however, 70 to 80% preventable with changes to overall physical and mental health.”
The heart association report, written in conjunction with the National Institutes of Health, also states that the surge of cardiovascular risk factors such as uncontrolled high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity could lead to heart disease and stroke affecting at least 60% of U.S. adults this year.
Heart disease is “the consequence of many things, not one thing,” explained Jefferson Health cardiologist Dr. Mark Zucker.
To combat it, Americans should adopt a heart-healthy lifestyle by eating nutritious foods and maintaining a healthy weight, among other suggestions from Dr. Howard Weinberg, a Virtua Health cardiologist.
“Managing stress; controlling blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes; and attending regular medical checkups are essential for prevention,” he urged.
Both men and women are at risk for heart disease, disproving the “stigma that heart disease is an old man’s disease,” according to Sealove, who added that women, in fact, are at greater risk than men.
“The literature is abundant that women come in with less classic symptoms,” he pointed out, “but their risk for heart attack is greater … Women are a challenge because they need to realize that heart disease is the number one killer of them.”
Weinberg maintained that a sedentary lifestyle and lack of physical activity contribute greatly to the development of conditions associated with heart disease.
“It is essential for individuals to remain active and be mindful of their diet, as the food we consume directly impacts our overall health,” he stated. “Moreover, consistent and intentional exercise plays a crucial role in promoting both physical and mental well-being.”
Acknowledging that human behaviors are hard to change, Sealove emphasized that he looks at each patient and asks how they can be healthier by setting realistic expectations with “baby steps.”
The Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, offer the following “baby steps”:
- Eat a heart-healthy diet.
- Get active.
- Stay at a healthy weight.
- Quit smoking and stay away from second-hand smoke.
- Control cholesterol, blood glucose (sugar) and blood pressure.
- Drink alcohol only in moderation.
- Manage stress.
- Get enough sleep.
“It takes a conscious effort to be healthy,” Sealove said, emphasizing that there is no easy way out.
“There is no better time than now, American Heart Awareness Month, to make that conscious effort for improved heart health,” Zucker offered. “This special month spotlighting heart health is an opportunity to ‘educate the public, so they don’t show up late.'”
