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In observation of Heart Month, we are sharing these Facts of the Heart so that you know WHY heart health is so important. The National Institutes of Health say that heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. But it doesn’t have to be that way. You can make healthy changes to lower your risk for heart disease. The first step is to know the risk factors, which make a person more likely to develop a disease.
Risk factors, according to the NIH, include:
• High blood pressure
• High blood cholesterol
• Diabetes and prediabetes
• Smoking
• Being overweight or obese
• Being physically inactive
• Having a family history of early heart disease
• Having a history of preeclampsia during pregnancy
• Unhealthy diet
• Age. The average age for a heart attack is 70 in women, and 66 in men.
You cannot do anything about some of these (genetics or age, for example.) But, in the next few weeks, we are going to touch on areas where you CAN make a difference. We think it’s important to offer these Facts of the Heart during February, National Heart Month. If you want to learn more about this, talk to your doctor or call 1-800-748-7826.