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Healthy lifestyle shown to limit heart failure risk

Category: Heart Health and Cholesterol

Blood testing shows that individuals who lead healthy lifestyles that include a nutritious diet, plenty of exercise and avoidance of tobacco are much less likely to develop a common and potentially serious cardiovascular complication, according to a new study published in the journal Circulation.

Scientists from the Pennington Biomedical Research Center found that each of these factors on their own significantly decrease an individual's risk of developing heart failure, a condition that affects nearly 6 million people in the U.S.

Furthermore, when a participant exhibited multiple healthy characteristics, their chances of developing the disease dropped even further. Men who engaged in all lifestyle areas assessed by the study were 70 percent less likely to experience heart failure while women had an 81 percent lower risk.

The researchers said the findings indicate that doctors should pay more attention to the lifestyles of their patients. Even small changes can result in major improvements in an individual's overall health. They estimated that up to half of all new cases of heart failure could potentially be prevented if more people lived healthier lives.