February is American Heart Month, which is a time when the nation spotlights heart disease, the No. 1 killer of Americans. Heart disease continues to be a health threat to Americans and is still the leading cause of death worldwide, according to the AHA’s Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics – 2021 Update.
In most cases, heart disease is preventable when people adopt a healthy lifestyle, which includes:
- not smoking
- maintaining a healthy weight
- controlling blood sugar and cholesterol
- treating high blood pressure
- getting at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity a week
- getting regular checkups