Eighty percent of heart attacks in men are preventable by changes in lifestyle, according to research conducted at the Karolinska Institute. The study, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, surveyed data on over 20,000 Swedish men aged 45-79, who were tracked from 1997 to 2009.
The team isolated five aspects of a healthy lifestyle - eating a healthy diet, staying in good shape, exercising regularly, staying away from tobacco and controlling alcohol intake - and surveyed the men on their lifestyles.
Based on the findings of the study, the team estimated that practicing the five healthy behaviors could prevent nearly 80 percent of first time heart attacks in men.
"It is not surprising that healthy lifestyle choices would lead to a reduction in heart attacks," said Agneta Akesson, the lead researcher for the study. "What is surprising is how drastically the risk dropped due to these factors."
Doctors note that preventing the first heart attack is a key to living a longer number of healthy years and reducing the likelihood of infirmity.
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