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heart disease overview > how the heart works >

Cut Your Risk of Getting
Heart Disease by 87%

By Doug Donaldson

Yeah, yeah, sure. We’ve all heard about how ditching smoking and eating better can help prevent heart disease. But a study by researchers at the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health found out just how much. Scientists found that men who adhere to five heart-healthy lifestyle changes can lower their risk of cardiovascular disease by 87 percent more than those who adopt none of the changes. Those who adopted just two or more had a 27 percent lower risk of heart disease than those who did not. The changes include:

  • Not smoking.
  • Keeping your body mass index (BMI) less than 25. Calculate your BMI.
  • Drinking alcohol in moderation, meaning half a drink to no more than two drinks a day on average.
  • Exercising at least 30 minutes daily.
  • Eating healthfully, including high intake of fruits and vegetables, cereal fiber, meat, nuts, legumes, low trans and saturated fats and taking a multivitamin for at least five years.
 
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