Author Interviews, Brigham & Women's - Harvard, Heart Disease, JACC, Lifestyle & Health / 08.07.2015
Modest Lifestyle Changes May Markedly Reduce Heart Failure Risk
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Liana C. Del Gobbo, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Friedman School of Nutrition Science & Policy
Tufts University Boston MA
Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Dr. Del Gobbo: Heart failure most commonly develops in adults over 65 years old- the most rapidly growing portion of the US population. The condition greatly reduces the quality of life of older adults. Heart failure is the leading cause of hospitalizations in the US among those on Medicare, and is associated with large health care costs. Prevention is key for reducing the burden of this disease.
A detailed analysis of factors that might help prevent heart failure, such as a person's pattern of eating (as well as individual foods), in addition to other lifestyle factors (eg. smoking, physical activity, etc), had not been previously examined all together, in the same study.
To get a fuller picture of how to prevent this condition, this study examined the relative importance of dietary habits and other lifestyle factors for development of heart failure.
Our paper shows that older adults can cut their risk in half by adhering to a few healthy lifestyle factors, including moderate physical activity, modest alcohol consumption (eg. more than one drink/week, but not more than 1-2 drinks/day), not smoking, and maintaining a healthy weight.
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