The American Heart Association has, for the first time, identified seven health factors and lifestyle behaviors its research indicates are necessary to keep your ticker in good shape.
“Life’s Simple 7” categorizes cardiovascular health as Poor, Intermediate, or Ideal in each of seven areas.
Published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association, the AHA says ideal cardiovascular health for adults is defined by these health measures:
- Never smoked or quit more than a year ago.
- A healthy body mass index (BMI), an estimate of body fat determined by a formula using weight and height.
- Physical activity, and the more the better. The new measure says at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity exercise is necessary for ideal health, or 75 minutes weekly of vigorous physical activity.
- Blood pressure below 120/80.
- Fasting blood glucose less than 100 milligrams/deciliter, a fasting measure of blood sugar level.
- Total cholesterol of less than 200 milligrams/deciliter.
- Eating a healthy diet. Four to five of the key components of a healthy diet are followed. For a 2,000-calorie diet, these include:
- At least 4.5 cups of fruits and vegetables per day
- At least two 3.5 oz. servings of fish per week, preferably oily fish
- At least three 1-ounce servings of fiber-rich whole grains per day
- Limiting sodium to less than 1,500 milligrams a day
- Drinking no more than 36 ounces weekly of sugar-sweetened beverages
The AHA hopes the seven factors could improve the cardiovascular health of Americans by 20% by the year 2020, and also reduce deaths from cardiovascular-related diseases and strokes by 20%.
Source: www.webmd.com
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