Lifestyle holds the key to heart!

Lifestyles changes can lower the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Although some risk factors

Lifestyles changes can lower the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Although some risk factors, such as age and heredity, cannot be controlled, many factors, including smoking, cholesterol, blood pressure, obesity, and inactivity can be modified, thus, lowering the risk.

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This lifestyle concern is thoroughly explored in the headline article of the debut issue of the new American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine (AJLM) published by SAGE.

The article, co-written by journal editor-in-chief James M. Rippe, MD, along with Theodore J. Angelopoulos, PhD, MPH, and Linda Zukley, MA, RN, exposes the truth about coronary heart disease (CHD) and its causes.

"In many ways coronary heart disease represents the quintessential lifestyle disease of developed countries. Six of the major risk factors for developing CHD involve lifestyle practices, including the decision of whether or not to smoke, the control of blood pressure and lipids, diabetes, level of physical activity, and obesity," the authors write.

Encouraging heart patients to control modifiable risk factors fits perfectly with the mission of the new American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine of looking at both the medical and the lifestyle aspects of disease management.

The article concludes that intervention from health care providers makes good sense, to help heart patients reduce the controllable CHD risk factors through proper lifestyle choices.