Did you know that well over half of all heart disease can be averted with smart daily choices? Avoiding tobacco and exercising regularly go a long way toward a happy heart, but two studies show that simple diet changes can safeguard our health too.
Studies suggest that simple diet changes may help you stay healthy for the long haul
Researchers in Europe tracked 313,074 adults for an average of eight years, while accounting for other factors that affect heart disease risk, such as smoking, body weight, exercise patterns, other eating habits, high blood pressure, and diabetes. They found that:
Another large study shows that fiber deserves attention too. Researchers in the US followed 388,122 older men and women (50 to 71 years old) for an average of nine years, also accounting for things that can affect disease risk. They found that:
These studies were observational, so they don’t prove cause and effect, but they do suggest that some simple diet changes are in order if we want to stay healthy for the long haul. Our tips will get you started.
(Arch Intern Med Published Online Feb 14, 2011: doi:10.1001/archinternmed.2011.18; Eur Heart J Published Online Jan 18, 2011: doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehq465)