Top 3 Tips for Preventing Heart Disease
This February during American Heart Month Valentin Fuster, MD, PhD, Director of Mount Sinai Heart shares his heart disease prevention expertise.
February is American Heart Month. It reminds all Americans that promotion of heart health is the most critical prevention tool we have available today in cardiovascular medicine, according to Valentin Fuster, MD, PhD, a global leader in the field of cardiology for more than three decades.
Dr. Fuster serves as Director of Mount Sinai Heart and Physician-in-Chief of The Mount Sinai Hospital, and is the next Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC). He is Past President of the American Heart Association and past President of the World Heart Federation.
To help prevent heart disease, the number one killer of people around the globe, Dr. Fuster is urging all adults to do just three things daily to prevent cardiovascular disease. In addition, Dr. Fuster has three top recommendations for parents on how to protect their child's heart from heart disease and its biggest culprit -- obesity.
For adults the "Top 3 Tips for Preventing Heart Disease" include:
1. Exercise Daily
Men and women need to stay active daily. Physical activity and aerobic exercise for at least 30 minutes a day needs to part of your every day routine. This may include exercising at the gym, brisk walking, bicycling, or swimming. Find an exercise activity that you love and do it daily.
2. Eat Healthy
Making healthy nutritional choices daily is vital for your health. A diet rich in colorful fruits and vegetables, and water, should be part of a daily heart healthy diet. Everyone should avoid food with excessive fat, sugar, and salt. Also, limit soft drinks and fast food consumption.
3. Avoid Tobacco Smoke
Smoking tobacco leads to heart disease. Cigarette smoke narrows and damages the arteries of the body. It is important that you do not smoke or stop smoking. Also, everyone needs to reduce their exposure to second-hand smoke which research shows is associated with coronary artery calcification, a build-up of calcium in the heart's arteries which indicates heart disease.
For parents of children the "Top 3 Tips for Preventing Heart Disease" include:
1. Start Early
Parents need to start heart disease prevention early for their children, especially for the prevention of the serious risk factor of obesity, when your child is 3-5 years old. Ensure the child has heart healthy eating habits and exercise is part of child's daily routine.
2. Provide Good Nutrition
Parents need to introduce daily healthy food and snack options to their children early including colorful fruits, vegetables, and water. Avoid giving children access to food with excessive fat, sugar, and salt. Also, limit soft drinks and fast food consumption. Eating and preparing dinner together with your children can instill and ensure good eating habits for the entire family.
3. Reduce Sedentary Lifestyle
Make sure to play with your child to encourage their physical activity. Encourage daily aerobic activities such as walking, bicycling, skating, and swimming. Also, limit the child's television watching and playing on the computer.
About the Mount Sinai Health System
Mount Sinai Health System is one of the largest academic medical systems in the New York metro area, with more than 43,000 employees working across eight hospitals, over 400 outpatient practices, nearly 300 labs, a school of nursing, and a leading school of medicine and graduate education. Mount Sinai advances health for all people, everywhere, by taking on the most complex health care challenges of our time — discovering and applying new scientific learning and knowledge; developing safer, more effective treatments; educating the next generation of medical leaders and innovators; and supporting local communities by delivering high-quality care to all who need it.
Through the integration of its hospitals, labs, and schools, Mount Sinai offers comprehensive health care solutions from birth through geriatrics, leveraging innovative approaches such as artificial intelligence and informatics while keeping patients’ medical and emotional needs at the center of all treatment. The Health System includes approximately 7,300 primary and specialty care physicians; 13 joint-venture outpatient surgery centers throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester, Long Island, and Florida; and more than 30 affiliated community health centers. We are consistently ranked by U.S. News & World Report's Best Hospitals, receiving high "Honor Roll" status, and are highly ranked: No. 1 in Geriatrics and top 20 in Cardiology/Heart Surgery, Diabetes/Endocrinology, Gastroenterology/GI Surgery, Neurology/Neurosurgery, Orthopedics, Pulmonology/Lung Surgery, Rehabilitation, and Urology. New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai is ranked No. 12 in Ophthalmology. U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Children’s Hospitals” ranks Mount Sinai Kravis Children's Hospital among the country’s best in several pediatric specialties.
For more information, visit https://www.mountsinai.org or find Mount Sinai on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
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