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CDC: 200,000 Heart Disease Deaths Per Year Are Preventable

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More than 200,000 deaths each year from heart disease are preventable, according to an announcement issued Wednesday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

CDC officials said that increased access to preventive medical treatment and healthier lifestyles would put a big dent in heart-related deaths. They said they believe about half of those preventable deaths occur in people under age 65.

Officials said that preventive health care access is one piece of the puzzle because health care providers can offer advice on lifestyle changes and access to blood control medications and other relatively inexpensive treatments. They said many deaths could have been prevented by lifestyle changes, including “stopping smoking, more physical activity, and less salt in the diet.” In addition, providing communities with safe places to exercise and smoke-free areas would make it easier to make healthier lifestyle choice, officials said.

Public health expert Patrick Remington said that changing communities is vital. Remington, who is a professor and associate dean at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, said that people live in a “toxic environment” when it comes to eating and exercise.

“In today’s environment, it’s harder to get the exercise we need,” he said, “And there’s an over-abundance of unhealthy food available to us wherever we go.”

Remington said helpful changes would include more walking-friendly communities with well-designed sidewalk routes, making stairs more prominent in large buildings while making the elevators less obvious, and making healthier foods more available in schools and other public places. He said the key is “making the healthier choice the easier choice.”

He compares today’s battle against heart disease with anti-smoking efforts in the 1970s. Individual smokers found it difficult to quit, he said, but passing laws that made it less convenient and more expensive to smoke have acted as a deterrent over time.