Experts say there are four healthy habits that can keep us free from heart disease. They found that habits can reduce the risk of heart disease by 80 percent over a period of eight years.
Habits that are regular exercise, have a Mediterranean style diet, maintaining a normal weight, and the most important thing is not to smoke.
A large study conducted at Johns Hopkins University also found a significant association between lifestyle factors and heart health during a relatively short period of time.
Study Chairman Haitham Ahmed, from Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Heart Disease at Johns Hopkins said, this is the first study that found a protective relationship between low-risk lifestyle and early signs of vascular disease, coronary heart disease (CHD), and death over a period of time.
The study, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology is evaluated data on more than 6,200 men and women aged 44 to 84 years. The participants have backgrounds ranging from white, African-American, Hispanic, and Chinese.
They were followed for an average 7.6 years. Those who maintain a healthy lifestyle had a death rate 80 percent lower during the period compared to those who do not live a healthy lifestyle. Even this study involving six health screening centers to provide an accurate diagnosis of cardiovascular disease.
During the study, the researchers also noted if there are participants who had a heart attack, chest pain, angioplasty, or death due to CHD and other causes. In addition, they provide an assessment of 1 (least healthy) to 4 (most healthy) based on the healthy lifestyle of the participants live.
The result is two percent or 129 participants who had a value of 4, which means they have a 80 percent lower risk over that period.
Heart health expert and professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine as well as the senior author of the study says Roger Blumenthal, of all the healthy lifestyle factors, smoking is not the factor that has a major role in reducing the risk of CHD and death.
"In fact, smokers who underwent two or more healthy habits still have a survival rate after 7.6 years lower than non-smokers who rarely move and obesity," said Blumenthal.
The researchers stress, unhealthy habits not only provides benefits for reducing the risk of heart disease, but also caused the death of another.