Do You Worry Too Much About Heart Disease, Or Not Enough?
The American Heart Association offers a free, anonymous, online calculator that give you a rough idea of your chance of a heart attack or dying from heart disease over the next 10 years.
That should settle the question in the headline.
I've used it to help motivate my patients who seem a bit too lackadaisical about their health, especially the ones with multiple risk factors for heart disease. I'm not talking about the 20-year-old at the peak of fitness and health, but the 40-year-old overweight, sedentary, smoker with a scary family history of premature heart disease.
You'll get the most accurate results from the calculator if you know your numbers: blood pressure, cholesterols (total, HDL, LDL), triglycerides, blood sugar level, height, weight, and waist circumference.
The health assessment tool is designed for people 20 or older who don't already have heart disease, diabetes, or atherosclerosis of the arteries in the neck or legs. People with type 2 diabetes can use a similar risk assessment tool: My Diabetes Health Assessment.
NutritionData stands ready to help you, in concert with your personal health professional, with heart disease risk factor modification. Click the following links for details:
-Steve Parker, M.D.
Disclaimer: All matters regarding your health require supervision by a personal physician or other appropriate health professional familiar with your current health status. Always consult your personal physician before making any dietary or exercise changes.
