Maybe the Swedes are onto something...
What could be better than medicine? You pop a pill and then you can eat anything you want.
Ancient Chinese doctors were paid not by how many people they cured from illness, but by how many they kept from getting sick. If modern-day physicians were paid like this, cardiologists would be some of the lowest paid physicians as 50% of the US population will develop symptomatic heart disease in their lifetime.
Can’t pills keep people from getting sick?
Statins are the best medicine we have to prevent heart attacks. For every 56 people given a statin for five years, one heart attack is prevented. Contrast that to a recent study from Sweden that showed that four lifestyle choices could prevent almost 80% of all heart attacks. These four lifestyle choices cannot be prescribed and picked up at a pharmacy. Three of them are seldom discussed in meaningful ways with patients.
Okay, I’ll bite. What are the four things?
Not smoking is the first lifestyle choice. Smoking reduces life expectancy by 10 years. Each time a pack of cigarettes is bought, society pays $18 in health costs. Second hand smoke, cigars, marijuana, and chewing tobacco are all associated with heart disease. Frighteningly, vaping has become popular now, even though long-term health effects are unknown. The good news is that 1.3 million people quit smoking every year. Free resources to quit are available at 1-800 QUIT NOW.
I like free!
I know, right? I’ve seen where peoples’ choices make them a prisoner to their health. They get to the point where they retire and want to enjoy life and instead are not free to pursue their golden years.
Good point. What’s the second thing?
The Mediterranean eating pattern prevents heart disease. The foods emphasized include fish, poultry, whole grains, eggs, fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds, legumes, and olive oil. Processed foods high in added fats and sugars should be avoided. Even people who eat this way 80% of the time, benefit.
So I can’t smoke, and can’t eat my chocolate-covered cinnamon bears? What’s next? Running marathons?
The exercise “sweet spot” for longevity is about three times weekly doing vigorous activity for 30-40 minutes. Vigorous activity is an effort that causes you to breathe so hard that you can’t complete a full spoken sentence. Weight lifting may be as beneficial as cardio activities and should be done 2-3 times weekly. Further amounts of exercise are not much more beneficial to prevent heart attacks.
And the last thing?
Waist size, not weight, appears to be associated with heart disease. One study showed that waist sizes in men greater than 37 1/2 inches and in women greater than 34 inches, was associated with higher rates of heart disease. Belly fat is associated with heart disease more than any other fat location in the body. What’s the best way to lose weight? Eat healthy and watch your calories. Your chances of surviving metastatic colon cancer are better than your chances of keeping weight off doing a “diet.”
Summarize it for me, Doc!
Even the best medicine in the world cannot overcome the effects of an unhealthy lifestyle. Eat a Mediterranean dietary pattern, exercise with “cardio” and strength training three times weekly, lose belly fat, and don’t smoke. Remember the figure below to keep perspective on what really works at preventing heart attacks.
