What You Should Know for a Healthy Heart

Heart disease is very common, but starting healthy habits like eating a heart-healthy diet, exercising more, getting a good night's sleep and stopping smoking can help you reduce your risk. In this 2 Your Well-Being discussion with WFMY News 2, Kardie Tobb, DO, shares tips for protecting your heart health. 

How common is heart disease?

"We'll start with statistics from the CDC. Last year, the CDC put out data that shows that at least one person every 30 seconds will die from cardiovascular disease (another name for heart disease). When you look at the country as a whole, one in 7 people die from heart disease. And if you look in North Carolina, heart disease is the leading cause of death in our state. And when you look at the statistics for females, heart disease is the number one killer for women generally in the United States as well as in North Carolina. So that's very devastating."

How can we prevent heart disease?

"Even though the numbers are high... 80% of that is preventable. So there's a few things that you can do -- some things that are just basic. Number one is eating a healthy diet. Picking whole foods, picking fruits and vegetables over refined fats, picking whole, lean meats like chicken over a red meat."

"Exercise is a big deal. Taking time out of your day to exercise during the day. And getting a good night's sleep. As easy as it sounds, getting a good night's sleep really helps with preventing heart disease. And knowing your numbers. What is your blood pressure? Do you have diabetes? What's that number? Do you have high cholesterol? Knowing all those things really helps you prevent 80% of heart disease."

Can quitting smoking help prevent heart disease? 

"Stopping smoking (or if you don't smoke, not starting) is really important because it increases your risk for heart disease when you smoke. That includes vaping, that includes e-cigarettes. So cutting back or stopping smoking completely really does help with you cutting back your risk of heart disease."

When should we start prioritizing our heart health?

"Heart disease affects men and women. And it's everybody's business. It's a whole family's business. There's no age to start thinking about heart disease. Start now! Involve the children in a family. Pick diets that are healthier because, think about it -- if you start a healthy habit at a younger age, you're more likely to continue that habit. Then you become a healthier adult and you're decreasing your risk of heart disease. So make it a family issue. Work together. Exercise together, pick healthier diets. Encourage your children when they pick foods from the cafeteria, teach them what the menu shows and what those healthier meals are, and it really makes a difference, those little steps."