Cutting down on cigarettes and eating healthier while in good health is four times more effective at reducing risk of death from heart disease than prevention measures taken by people who already have heart problems. Recent research has proven this, following an analysis of various reasons for the decline in heart disease deaths in many industrialized countries starting with the 80s.
The study, conducted by Dr. Belgin Unal of Dokuz Eylul University in Izmir, Turkey, focused on the effects of primary and secondary prevention measures. Primary prevention refers to prevention of heart disease in healthy people, while secondary prevention refers to prevention of potentially fatal complications (e.g. a heart attack) in people already suffering from heart disease. The latter seems to have priority in the U.K. and U.S. nowadays, according to the researchers, even though primary prevention was responsible for the steep decline in heart deaths happening in the U.K. and Wales since 1981.
Smoking reduction and dietary changes provided much of the contribution to the decline, according to Dr. Unal's research team. They used data on more than 35 million adults in the UK and Wales, coming from national surveys, official statistics and clinical trials.
They found: a decrease by 54% in heart disease deaths between 1981 and 2000, a concurrent 35% decline in smoking, as well as modest reductions in cholesterol levels and blood pressure. The changes in diet recorded included higher intakes of fruit, fiber and unsaturated fat, as well as lower intakes of salt and saturated fat.
The researchers estimate that nearly 45,000 deaths were prevented by the reduction in these factors, out of which 30,000 were in people who had given up or reduced smoking while they had no known heart problems. .
