A healthy heart in youth can keep diseases away in old age

Washington, Nov 17: Want to keep diseases away and age in a healthy way? Make sure your heart stays healthy.

According to a new study presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2014, diseases in later life could be easily prevented if a healthy heart is maintained in early stages of life. For the study, researchers analysed data from 3,669 men and 2,345 women from The Chicago Heart Association Detection Project in Industry. The participants were given a health survey in 2003 analysing their functional disability and quality of life. Spanning over a period of more than 3 decades, the study began when the participants were aged between 29-68 in 1967 to 1973. (Read: Checking for your heart health could be as easy as downloading an app)

In order to determine the functional risk level, researchers used blood pressure, cholesterol and body mass index measurements, as well as diabetes and smoking status of the participants. It was found that participants who had a reduced risk of developing heart and blood vessel disease in youth and adulthood had 60 percent lowered likelihood of reporting a disability or disease as older adults. (Read: Take the natural route to heart health home remedies that work!)

According to Thanh Huyen T. Vu, M.D., Ph.D., study lead author and research assistant professor at Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois, people should adopt and maintain a healthy lifestyle at all ages and it was important that healthcare providers promote a healthy lifestyle early in life for their patients, as healthy lifestyle had been shown to be associated with favorable levels of cardiovascular disease risk factors. (Read: 6 heart-healthy diet tips for people with heart disease)

Source: ANI

Photo source: Getty images

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