In 2020, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 697,000 people in the United States died from heart disease (about one in every five deaths). Heart disease refers to several types of heart conditions. In the United States, coronary artery disease (CAD) is the most common type of heart disease. CAD affects blood flow to the heart which can cause a heart attack.
Some risk factors cannot be controlled, such as your age and family history. If you have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or are a smoker, you have an increased risk of heart disease. About half of the people in the United States have at least one of these three risk factors. Several other medical conditions and lifestyle choices can also put people at a higher risk for heart disease:
n Diabetes.
n Obesity.
n Unhealthy diet.
n Physical inactivity.
n Excessive alcohol use.
You can reduce your risk of heart disease by making changes to your diet and lifestyle. Eating a diet that is low in saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol is recommended. If you take in more cholesterol that the body can use, the extra cholesterol can build up in the walls of the arteries, including those of the heart. This leads to narrowing of the arteries and can decrease the blood flow to the heart, brain, kidneys, and other parts of the body.
Limiting alcohol consumption and quitting smoking will also reduce your risk. The CDC recommends that women have no more than one drink per day and men have no more than two drinks per day. If you are a smoker and would like to quit smoking, most Federal Employee Health Benefits insurance plans offer smoking cessation support.
For more information, visit cdc.gov/heartdisease/risk_ factors.htm.
– Benefits and Wellness,
Human Resources, 2-23-23
