Knowing the facts about the leading cause of death in the United States can help empower you to make smarter heart health decisions and could even help save your life or the lives of the ones you love.
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, accounting for more deaths than cancer, accidents, and diabetes combined.
Heart disease in America causes 2,400 deaths per day. That's an average of one death every 37 seconds.
It's estimated that 80 million American adults have some type of cardiovascular disease.
Over half a million Americans die from a heart attack each year.
Life expectancy would go up by almost seven years if cardiovascular disease were eliminated.
A heart attack occurs when the blood flow to a part of the heart is blocked by a blood clot.
Physical inactivity increases the risk of developing heart disease by 1.5 times.
Eating more than five servings of fruit and vegetables each day has been shown to reduce your risk for heart disease by 17%.
A universal reduction of 3 grams of salt a day would lead to a 22% drop in the number of deaths from heart disease.
Smokers have a 70% higher risk of death from heart disease than non-smokers. The good news is that if you quit, your risk of heart disease decreases substantially within two years.
Non-smokers living with smokers have an estimated 25% higher risk of dying from a heart attack and suffering a stroke.
Aspirin has been proven to reduce the risk of a second heart attack by 30%.
RECOMMEND:
Smokers have a 70% higher risk of death from heart disease than non-smokers. If you quit, your risk of heart disease decreases substantially within two years.
