Integrative Health Blog

Lifestyle choices can make a profound impact on optimal health. Many of us don’t realize the simple yet powerful steps we can take to prevent, improve and even reverse some of the most worrisome conditions such as cardiovascular disease (CVD) and metabolic syndrome. With CVD being among the leading causes of death in the United States for nearly a century, it goes without saying that heart health should be a priority. Unfortunately, we may be missing some critical tools to support our longevity in ways very much within our reach.

According to the research of James Yeh, MD, MPH, instructor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and practitioner at Massachusetts General Hospital, “Nearly half of all premature deaths may be due to unhealthy lifestyle choices, such as insufficient exercise, poor diet, and smoking. These risk factors increase the risk of high blood pressure, diabetes, heart attack, and stroke.” (2019) The flip side is that healthy lifestyle choices have been found to play a vital role in prevention of these same morbidity factors. According to a 2017 review, successful modification of lifestyle choices can reduce the relative risk of cardiovascular disease and the risk factors for CVD such as diabetes mellitus and high blood pressure. (Masana, et al.)

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