Heart attacks and heart disease unfortunately are a sad fact of a life with our current state of health and affairs.  The numbers are on the rise, largely due to poor diet choices, as well as environmental toxins, and bad health habits.  Below are a few heart attack statistics and facts that should shed a bit of light on what’s really going on with our health.

Heart Attack Statistics and Facts:

There are about 500,000 deaths resulting from a heart attack in the U.S. each year.  That number is out of the nearly 1.5 million heart attacks that actually occur each year in the U.S.

Annually, more than 233,000 women die of some sort of cardiovascular disease.  Sudden death is much more common in women experiencing a heart attack.

About every 20 seconds, somewhere a heart attack occurs.  Some one dies from a heart attack every minute.

It’s been shown that almost 14 million people in America have a history of either heart attacks or angina.

How is this for a heart attack statistic-  50% of deaths that happen, happen within an hour of the heart attack, outside of the hospital.

For those that are lucky enough to survive long enough to reach a hospital, they have an early mortality rate of 6- 9%.

Common times that heart attacks occur have been shown to be early morning, when blood platelets are stickier, and also Monday morning.  Saturday morning comes in a close second.

Deaths from all types of cancer through out the U.S. are still half as common as the deaths triggered by cardiovascular disease.

These are just a few of the many heart attack statistics available.  Run a search through Google, and you are sure to find many more where that came from.  Those are some very scary numbers!

There are many things a person can do to prevent heart disease and reduce their risks: cardio workouts either on an electric treadmill or through an actual aerobic class can help, also, eating foods low in cholesterol and “bad” fats can also reduce one’s risk for heart disease.

A heart attack diet is an essential part of a cardiac rehabilitation program.  When carefully planned and thought out,  a heart attack diet and nutrition plan  can either prevent a heart attack if you have never had one and are at risk, or can prevent a re occurrence.  But what to eat?  Eating healthy foods, including whole foods is the absolute key, as well as a largely vegetarian diet of fresh veggies and fruit, as well as whole grains and some heart healthy nuts and seeds.
During the first week following a heart attack, it’s important to take it easy.  Your heart attack diet should include several mini meals, all of them low sodium.  Also avoid cold liquids.  Some veggies to try are asparagus and carrots.  Both are easy on the system, low in salt, and provide essential nutrients.

It is also important to include essential fatty acids in your heart attack diet plan.  Look for  unrefined, cold pressed nut and seed oils like flax seed oil.  You can mix it into any foods that doesn’t require heating, or use it as a salad dressing with vinegar.  The fatty acids help to keep your arteries clear by reducing blood cholesterol levels.

Another important component to a heart attack diet, is to stay away from saturated fats and trans fats.  Most red meats are high in saturated fats.  Also, avoid things like shortening, margarine, and processed foods.  Instead find your protein in things like beans, soy, and fish or chicken.

Other great foods to add to a heart attack diet are magnesium rich foods like tofu, broccoli, and spinach, as well as garlic.  Garlic has been shown to lower cholesterol and triglycerides, as well as lower blood pressure.

Also things like almonds and walnuts, cayenne pepper, sea veggies and sea kelp, as well as onions are great additions to a heart attack diet, to keep your body functioning at it’s optimum health level.  Just be consistent, and your health will improve!

Another key factor in preventing heart disease is not only watching your diet, but also adding exercise to your daily routine. This is often over looked, but it can help you take off excess pounds and give you more energy and motivation to eat better. If you eat right and exercise, you surely will lose weight fast, really faster than you ever realized, and in return, will reduce your risk for heart disease. Diet AND exercise matters!

The Heart Attack Age- Is There Any Such Thing?

There is no such thing as a common heart attack age.  Although heart attacks tend to be less common in folks under 40, the sad fact is just about any one at any age can suffer from a heart attack.

There are children that are born with congenital heart defects that suffer from heart attacks.  There are 20 year olds that are under a severe amount of stress or pressure that suffer from heart attacks.  Heart attacks are very common, especially with the current state of our health today, and there is no ‘heart attack age’.
One thing that makes a heart attack very possible in both the young and the old, is the obesity epidemic we are currently riding.  So many Americans are overweight and do very little exercise, which puts them at an extreme risk for heart disease conditions as well as a heart attack.  It also puts them at risk for diabetes and stroke.

There are others who put themselves under extreme physical stress, and because they are not used to it, and their hearts may be unknowingly weak, they can suffer from a heart attack.  Once again, there is no heart attack age.  Heart attacks happen, and age doesn’t always have a lick to do with it!

One thing to be careful of, if you live in extreme climates is heat stroke.  There was a young man in his late 20′s that had a heart attack on the roof of a house he was working on, due to heat stroke.  He wasn’t over 40, yet he still experienced a heart attack.  Unfortunately this young man died from it, and that is the reality.  There is no heart attack age, and just about anyone can experience a heart attack, fatal or otherwise.

The best thing you can do is take all the preventative measure available, and try to keep your heart and your body within optimum health.  This will determine YOUR heart attack age.  Hopefully, if you take care of yourself, that age will never come!

Also see: Fat Burning Pills

Is There A Cure For Heart Disease?

Many people may be asking if there is a cure for heart disease.  However, unfortunately at this time in science there is no cure for heart disease or heart problems.  There are however preventative measures you can take to lower your risk.

Number one is get that body moving!  Having a healthy body weight can go a long way in preventing heart disease.  About 1 in 4 adults in the U.S. right now are completely sedentary.  The recommended “dose” of exercise by doctors is to aim for at least 30 minutes daily, 6 days per week.  If you can do more, even better.  Also, exercise is a bit like adding money to the bank.  Every little bit helps, and can add up, so don’t feel like you have to do 30 minutes all at once! One good way to measure heart rate is with a heart rate monitor. There are a variety available on the market that will fit many budgets. Read more »

If you are worried about your risk of having a heart attack, then you definitely should be a getting heart disease screening.  Especially if you have a risky family history of heart disease and health issues. Even if you don’t though, with current lifestyles as they are you should still be getting a regular heart disease screening.

Generally, in patients over 40 who are healthy, you can obtain either an ECG or and EKG every 2-5 years or so.  Get one more often of you are older than forty, or if you have new or preexisting coronary artery disease risk factors.  This is mainly done to get a base idea of what is normal for your heart, to be better able to tell when something is abnormal. Read more »

Chronic heart disease is a leading cause of death all over the world.  The term is used interchangeably with all conditions that affect the heart, including coronary heart disease, congenital heart disease, etc.  Whatever the condition, all affect your heart and can cause sudden death by a heart attack or heart failure.

Some risk factors of chronic heart disease that you can take steps TODAY to correct, are things like smoking.  Smoking has been proven over and over to contribute to both lung cancer and heart disease.  There are so many available options out there now to help you kick the habit that there is really no excuse to continue putting your health at risk. Read more »

Coronary health is an extremely important  thing to monitor.  You should be getting regular screenings and checkups, as well as taking all the necessary steps to keep your heart and cardiovascular system healthy.  Here are 5 tips to improve your coronary health. Read more »

There are a variety of factors that come together that can help prevent heart disease. While your genes may play a factor to a certain degree, you cannot disregard lifestyle. The three factors outline below can have a major impact on the prevention of heart disease: Read more »