Health news, tips and features: Healia Health Blog

February 1st, 2008

National Wear Red Day Helps Promote Heart Disease Awareness

Health News posted 4 years ago by The Healia Team

The American Heart Association (AHA) has proclaimed Friday, February 1, 2008 as National Wear Red Day to help increase heart disease awareness and support ongoing research/education about heart disease among women.

Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women and men, but the good news is that heart disease can often be prevented. The AHA recommends that everyone know and understand their cholesterol and triglyceride numbers, keep an eye on their calorie count, and eat from each of the six food groups as recommended by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the AHA.

Protecting your heart early (as early as your 20s) may help reduce risk of cardiovascular disease. You can reduce the modifiable risk factors of heart disease by following the ABCs of Preventing Heart Disease, Stroke, and Heart Attack:

Avoid tobacco.
Be more active.
Choose good nutrition.

America is making strides on better heart health--the 2010 strategic goal of reducing deaths by 25 percent has been achieved for coronary heart disease and has nearly been achieved for stroke deaths. However, reducing risk factors for heart disease (especially physical inactivity, obesity, and diabetes) is still a major challenge worldwide.