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CD-ROM Today (UK) (Spanish) 15
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0207
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02075.txt
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1994-01-17
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$Unique_ID{BRK02075}
$Pretitle{}
$Title{Estimating the Statistical Benefits of Various Heart Attack Reduction
Measures}
$Subject{heart attack risk factors smoking cigarettes tobacco medications
medication serum cholesterol body weight blood pressure diastolic pressure
exercise sedentary life style}
$Volume{}
$Log{
How Cholesterol Levels Affect the Arteries*0002701.scf
HDL Transports Cholesterol Back to the Liver*0002702.scf
Exercise Increases HDL*0002703.scf
Exercise Strengthens the Heart*0003202.scf
Exercise Improves Circulation*0003207.scf
Exercise Increases Metabolism*0003205.scf
Exercise has Overall Benefits*0003209.scf
The Effects of Smoking*0007301.scf
Anatomy of Blood Pressure*0009501.scf}
Copyright (c) 1993 Tribune Media Services, Inc.
Estimating the Statistical Benefits of Various Heart Attack Reduction Measures
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
QUESTION: I read a great many health magazines, and find a good deal of
important information. Many articles are written about improving your chances
of avoiding a heart attack by changing your risk factors. But though I
understand the principle, I have yet to find an article that tells me how much
I would reduce my heart attack risk if I would (or could) attempt to make all
these switches. Maybe you can provide some motivation by giving me the real
facts, the numbers that tell how I might make out. I know I am asking a lot
but believe you can provide the answer.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ANSWER: It is an interesting challenge, and I know just how important it is
for some people to see the numbers as proof of the benefits they might expect
from changing their life style. Yet such statistics are merely indicators or
estimates, for the numbers may vary from person to person. However, the
principle of reducing risk factors for heart attacks is a sound one, and
though your personal benefits may vary, there is no question that following
these indications will over time greatly improve your chances when compared
to what they might have been if you continue your present ways. Let's start
with quitting smoking. You can reduce you chances of a heart attack by about
60 percent when you quit, compared to the odds of those who continue to smoke.
And your best chances of giving up tobacco is to do it on your own. The
success rates of those who try to stop by attending a program reveal that only
10-40 percent are still non-smokers after a year.
Another high risk factor is high serum cholesterol. Your risk of heart
attacks drop from 2-3 percent for every 1 percent reduction you make in your
total cholesterol levels. In general most people can reduce these levels by
about 10 percent with diet alone, and as much as 20 percent when taking
prescription medications.
A great risk reducer is exercise, for it helps your health program in two
ways. The benefits from an active life style, or a regular activity or
exercise program, provides a 45 percent risk reduction compared to couch
potatoes or those whose life style is mostly sedentary. And if you use the
program to reduce your body weight to its ideal level, you will lower your
risks by as much as 55 percent when compared to individuals who remain 20
percent over their ideal weight.
Detecting any levels of blood pressure that are above normal and then
reducing your levels of high blood pressure also brings great rewards. For
every 1 mm reduction in an elevated diastolic pressure (the lower number in a
blood pressure reading, where anything over 90 is considered at risk) you gain
a 2-3 percent reduction in risk factor for heart problems. Such reductions
may be gained through both diet and drug therapy.
It must be clear from your readings, as it is from the material I read,
that the effort is well worth the gain. It is also apparent that exercise and
diet can be as valuable in your attack on risk factors as medications are. In
fact any successful program should include both diet and exercise as part of
the total plan. The only thing wrong with all these numbers is that you can't
just add them up for a total, and come up with a better than 100 percent
reduction in risk. They only are valid indicators when used to evaluate each
factor separately, for the mathematics needed to assess the effects of many
factors at the same time are extremely difficult to calculate, if it could be
reckoned at all.
----------------
The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace
the counsel and advice of your personal physician. Promptly consulting your
doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical
problem.