Lifestyle Changes Reduce Heart Attack Risk

Jan. 18, 2000
A study shows that smoking, alcohol consumption, obesity and a sedentary lifestyle can affect your risk of heart attack and stroke.

If you made a new year' s resolution to improve your health, you may be helping yourself more than you think.

Changing the way you live can affect the way your blood thickens and clots, thereby altering your risk of heart attack and stroke, according to a UK study.

The findings "suggest that lifestyle modifications may result in decreased (clotting) tendency in the blood and increased ability of blood flow," said Dr. John Yarnell from Queen's University, UK and associates.

In the study, eight different blood clotting factors were measured in more than 2,000 middle-aged men living in South Wales.

Most measure of clotting were increased among smokers, the researchers report, while nonsmokers had substantially lower results.

Yarnell and his colleagues concluded that factors that increase the risk of heart disease and stroke, such as smoking, alcohol consumption, obesity and a sedentary lifestyle, may work partly through their influence on the body's clotting system.

Increased leisure-time activity tended to lower some clotting measures, although none showed any significant relationship to work-related physical activity.

Increased alcohol consumption had variable effects, increasing some factors and reducing others. Researchers noted that this may account for the reduction in heart attacks with moderate alcohol consumption and the increase in strokes with heavy consumption.

"This research offers evidence that individuals can change their risk significantly by not smoking and by adopting other healthy lifestyle habits," according to a statement issued by the American Heart Association.

Sponsored Recommendations

3 Essential Elements for a Strong Safety Culture

March 13, 2024
Organizations globally have increased their attention on safety culture: trying to figure out what it really is and the aspects that are necessary to develop and sustain it. And...

Making the Case for Occupational Health Software

March 13, 2024
Deciding to invest in Occupational Health (OH) software can be a challenging leap for many organizations. This article will equip businesses with insightful strategies for effectively...

Fighting the Flu: Solutions for the Workplace

March 13, 2024
Seasonal flu continues to wreak considerable havoc both on individual wellness, as well as on our business continuity and productivity. Explore these solutions for protecting ...

Preventing SIFs with Digitization: Reduce Serious Injuries and Fatalities with Technology

March 13, 2024
This eBook discusses the origins of SIF prevention, outlines principles, models and tools available to EHS leaders to better detect and address SIF potential in their business...

Voice your opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of EHS Today, create an account today!