In a very recent study from Sweden, the researchers found that the most effective way to reduce the number of deaths from heart disease was to target healthy people. Efforts to reduce the number of people who smoked, to help people lower their cholesterol and blood pressure cut down significantly on those who died of heart disease. This approach was more effective than waiting for people to develop symptoms of heart disease and then attempting to have them adopt a healthy lifestyle habits. Deaths from heart disease have dropped in Sweden over the last 2 decades but most of the decline was seen in those who did primary prevention, not those who did secondary prevention, making changes in risk factors after being diagnosed with heart disease.
Bottom line: If you are young and healthy, your goal is to stay that way. Adopt healthy lifestyle habits. Don’t smoke. Eat healthy fats. Exercise and don’t eat excessive amounts of salt.
