There are numerous lifestyle, dietary, and genetic factors believed to play a part in heart disease and it can be difficult to determine which of these factors are the most important ones. According to a report published in the journal Lancet in 2004, there are just nine risk factors that account for the overwhelming majority of heart attacks. The good news is that each of the risk factors identified is preventable.

The study, conducted by Canadian scientists, involved analyzing 262 previous studies on heart disease involving a combined 29,000 individuals from 52 countries. The researchers attempted to isolate the risk factors thought to have the greatest impact on an individuals probability of suffering a heart attack.

Read The Full Post »»

---

Several studies indicate that brisk walking may be just as good for your heart as more vigorous exercise such as jogging, running, or swimming.

One of the largest studies on the effects of exercise on heart disease prevention was published in The New England Journal of Medicine in August of 1999. The study consisted of 72,488 females from the Nurses Health Study (NHS). The participants were 40 to 65 at the beginning of the study in 1986. The study continued for eight years during which 645 coronary deaths (475 deaths from heart attacks and 170 from other coronary heart disease) were observed.

Read The Full Post »»

---