May 3, 2024

Are Americans misinformed about their heart health?

Although cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for men and women within the U.S., according to the American Heart Association, a recent survey found that many Americans are misled about heart health information.

The survey, conducted by researchers at the Cleveland Clinic, showed that Americans are not educated fully about heart disease prevention and symptoms, and nearly one-third of these don’t take safety measures.

Although nearly 600,000 people die each year from heart disease, based on the Cdc and Prevention, results demonstrated that nearly three-quarters of those surveyed do not take into account the potential of dying from cardiovascular disease.

“Heart disease is the number 1 killer of men and women within this country, therefore it is disappointing to see that a lot of Americans are unaware of the severity of not implementing action to prevent heart disease,” said Dr. Steven Nissen, chairman of cardiovascular medicine at Cleveland Clinic, inside a statement. “This is a disease that can largely be prevented and managed, however, you need to be educated about how to do so.”

With an array of information about heart health on the internet, laptop computer found that the next were a few of the top heart topics that people do not understand:

  • Fish oil is linked to many health advantages, but experts advise that the daily recommended dose isn’t a sufficient practice for prevention.
  • Studies show vitamins have very little impact on heart health.
  • American don’t understand where sodium originates from within their diet.
  • There isn’t any cardiovascular disease gene, but family history is an important known risk step to take into account.

“There is no single method to prevent cardiovascular disease, considering that everyone is different,” Nissen said. However, he recommends five things everyone should learn with regards to heart health: eating right, exercising regularly, knowing cholesterol, blood pressure level, and the body mass index numbers, avoiding tobacco, and knowing family history.

According to Nissen, “Taking these steps can help lead to a healthier heart and a longer, more vibrant life.”

To find out more about your heart health, visit iheartadvocate.com and take a web-based risk assessment to learn your risk for cardiovascular disease. If you are going to be at the highest-risk level, an Advocate Health Care cardiologist will come across along with you within 24 hours.