Yesterday, I briefly discussed the American Heart Association & American College of Cardiology's new guidelines on treating high cholesterol. Today, I thought I'd review
their recommendations regarding the effect of lifestyle on heart disease risk. However, as the authors pointed out, they did not have the time & resources to actually consider outcome benefit but rather only at the effect of lifestyle on blood pressure & lipids.
What I found intriguing is that the recommendations to lower blood pressure are very similar to those to lower cholesterol. In other words, the authors found strong evidence to support consuming mostly vegetables, fruits & whole grains while limiting sweets, sugar-sweetened beverages, and red meat. Low-fat dairy products, poultry, fish, legumes & non-tropical vegetable oils & nuts help serve as an alternative.
While strong, the evidence regarding physical activity was not nearly as impressive as that of diet, whether attempting to improve cholesterol or blood pressure. Still the authors concluded that adults should be encouraged to
reduce LDL cholesterol & blood pressure via 3-4 40 minute sessions a week of moderate-to-high intensity physical activity.
So there you have it. But before arranging for more meds, see if you can improve your risk factors via lifestyle modification.
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