Evidence That America’s Focus On Reducing Heart Disease Is Working

Weight control, exercise, and cholesterol levels are frequent topics in doctors‟ offices across the nation and now there is evidence that this attention is paying off. Hospital admissions for elderly patients with heart failure fell by nearly 30% in the past ten years. The report published last Wednesday by the American Medical Association is the first to document a decline in hospital admissions for cardiovascular disease. Heart disease is the most common cause of death for Americans.

The study reviewed Medicare records and found that hospital admissions for heart disease had declined for the first time. In addition to death, heart disease causes many Americans to be debilitated each year. Doctors have long believed that weight control, regular exercise, and managing cholesterol levels would help improve America‟s wellness. Contrary to popular misconception, women have more heart attacks than men but the heart attacks happen ten years later in women compared with men.