Friday, December 07, 2007

Explanation On Lifestyle Changes Will Help Reduce Heart Disease Risks!

We all are aware that our existing "unhealthy lifestyle" is the main culprit that bring us diseases such as diabetes, high cholesterol, hypertension (high blood pressure), heart disease, stroke, etc. But how many of us will treat this piece of advice seriously and are willing to make a change in our lifestyle right away?

A recent report, published in the US medical journal Archives of Internal Medicine on November 26, 2007, showed that regular explanation by doctors to their patients about the need for lifestyle changes to help reduce heart disease risks do have a noticeable positive impact on reducing the patients' cholesterol level.

The study was carried out at Canada's McGill University in Montreal to examine more than 2,600 patients who are at high risk of a heart attack, including some with diabetes or pre-existing heart problems.

The findings indicated that the existing anti-cholesterol treatments were more successful when patients were regularly advised by their doctors about how to reduce their heart risks with a change to a healthier lifestyle, such as by taking exercise.

For example, an overweight 43-year-old man who smoked, with high cholesterol and hypertension was calculated to have a heart-health level equivalent to that of a 51-year-old, according to the study. But if he followed all the guidelines he gets from his doctors for his treatment, he could reduce this age index to the equivalent of a healthy 42-year-old man.

Perhaps, we should listen more to our doctors from now on if we want to live longer with a healthy heart!

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