Macedonia Wants You Well - Preventing Heart Disease and Strokes

Did you know that heart disease and stroke are the number 1 and number 3 killers of African Americans? Cardiovascular diseases claim the lives of over 104,000 African Americans each year, which is 33% of all deaths among African Americans in the United States.

There are certain behaviors or traits known as risk factors that increase your chances for developing heart disease. The more risk factors you have, the greater your chance of having a heart attack or stroke. Did you know that some of those risk factors can be controlled?

Cigarette smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, physical inactivity, obesity and overweight, and diabetes are all controllable risk factors.

Some things we can do to avoid, reduce, or eliminate some of these risk factors include: not smoking, losing weight, eating few foods high in saturated fat such as butter, cheese, and fatty meat, being physically active for at least 30 minutes most days of the week, taking blood pressure medications as prescribed, eating no more than 1 teaspoon of salt per day, controlling blood sugar levels if your diabetic, and managing stress. Every little bit can help, so if not already begin this month by doing at least 1 or 2 of the things listed above to reduce your risk for heart disease. Finally, don't be afraid to ask your doctor for help in reducing your risks.

Submitted by Maya Warren, PharmD

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(Left: Sister Maya pictured with husband, Minister David Warren)