Healthy Lifestyle Choices Linked to Lower Incidence of Heart Disease

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Healthy Lifestyle Choices Linked to Lower Incidence of Heart Disease

Coronary heart disease (CHD) remains one of the leading causes of death among middle-aged men in the United States. Previous research has shown that following certain healthy habits, such as regular exercise, maintaining a healthy diet and not smoking, may contribute individually to a reduced risk of CHD.

While research also has shown that a combination of healthy lifestyle choices provides greater protection against CHD in women, little is known about the effects of combined healthy lifestyle factors and the reduction of CHD in middle-aged and older men.
In this cohort study, researchers analyzed data from 42,847 men who participated in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. All of the men were between the ages of 40 and 75, and were disease-free at the study's inception. In particular, the researchers examined the relationship between five lifestyle factors (absence of smoking, a body mass index of less than 25, a minimum of 30 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous exercise per day, moderate alcohol consumption, and having a score within the top 40 percent of the Alternate Healthy Eating Index) and the incidence of heart attack or coronary heart disease. Data was analyzed using food frequency questionnaires, activity questionnaires and other measurements.
During the 16-year follow-up period, 2,183 cases of heart attack or death from heart disease, or "incident coronary events," occurred among study participants. Analysis of the questionnaires found that men who adopted all of the low-risk behaviors were 87 percent less likely to develop coronary heart disease during the study period compared to men who adopted none of the behaviors. Adherence to two or more lifestyle practices was associated with a 27 percent reduced risk of coronary heart disease compared to men who made no lifestyle changes. The researchers estimated that 62 percent of all "coronary events" that occurred during the study period may have been prevented if all members of the study population adopted the lifestyle factors. Among men who were taking medications for hypertension or hypercholesterolemia, adhering to all five practices could reduce the incidence of coronary events by up to 57 percent, according to the researchers.
Chiuve SE, McCullough ML, Sacks FM, Rimm EB. Healthy lifestyle factors in the primary prevention of coronary heart disease among men. Benefits among uses and nonusers of lipid-lowering and antihypertensive medications. Circulation 2006;114:160-167.