CORONARY HEART DISEASE: Coronary heart disease affects about 14 million people in the United States, acting as the number one killer in the country.

It happens when fatty materials build up in arteries, which supply blood to the heart. This can slow blood flow to the heart, which is how the heart gets oxygen and nutrients. Even worse, the fat can build up and completely block the flow of blood to the heart.

Risk factors that you can control include high blood pressure or cholesterol, tobacco use, inactivity, and obesity. Other factors which one has no control over are increasing age, gender (more common in males), and hereditary risks.

PREVENTION: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, anybody can lower their risk of heart disease by:

controlling high blood cholesterol

controlling high blood pressure

preventing and controlling diabetes

not using tobacco

limiting alcohol use

maintaining a healthy weight

exercising

OBESITY IN AMERICA: People with excess fat, especially at the waistline, are most at risk for heart disease, even if they have no other risk factors. The extra weight causes extra work for the heart. Obesity also leads to high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over the past 20 years, obesity in America has increased by 60 percent. Over the past 30 years, obesity in children has tripled. Obesity is not only linked to heart disease but also to stroke and cancer (endometrial, breast, and colon).

OTHER TOP KILLERS: Stroke and cancer are the second and third top killers in our country.

For More Information, Contact:
Penelope Slade-Sawyer, P.T., M.S.W.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Rockville, MD
(240) 453-8280
http://odphp.osophs.dhhs.gov