Heart disease remains the world’s number one killer — claiming over 20 million lives each year. Despite all the awareness of diet, exercise, smoking, and medications, we still cannot manage to avoid a high rate of heart deaths. So why is what we are doing not working?
This team of global specialists (ILEP) would like to see us completely transform the manner in which we tackle heart well-being. Their new strategy, ILEP-SMILE, goes past the essentials and prescribes a complete, lifelong game plan for your heart’s wellness — starting as early as childhood and lasting into old age.
The same old advice still applies: eat more healthily, exercise more, don’t smoke, manage blood pressure and diabetes. But we now understand that how you sleep, how stressed you are, how much alcohol you drink, and how well you adhere to treatment plans are just as crucial.
Astonishing facts:
- Sleep deprivation can increase your risk of heart disease by over 20% — and sleeping too much is not good either.
- Chronic stress can hurt your heart as much as diabetes or hypertension.
- Even moderate alcohol consumption is no longer considered “heart healthy” — the new goal is zero.
- One of the most neglected is a genetic marker called lipoprotein(a) — it can triple your risk of heart disease and should be tested at least once in your life.
Yet knowledge is not enough — this plan is about motivating people and getting them to follow lifestyle changes. Without people following healthy habits or medication, even the perfect plan is incomplete.
Technology also has a role to play: apps, wearables, and digital tools can monitor activity, sleep, and remind patients to take early action.
The big message? Your heart health is not solely a question of your cholesterol level. It’s a complex issue of your entire lifestyle, from stress and sleep to genes and your ability to stick with healthy habits. With this holistic approach, we have a real chance to turn back the tide of heart disease.
Full text: Maciej Banach, Federica Fogacci, Atanas G. Atanasov, Anca Pantea Stoian, Jacek Jóźwiak, Ibadete Bytyçi, Ivan Pećin, Niki Katsiki, Mohsen Mazidi, Ioanna Gouni-Berthold,
Peter E. Penson, Dan Gaita, Arrigo F.G. Cicero, A 360° perspective on cardiovascular prevention: the International Lipid Expert Panel SiMple tIps for the heaLthy hEart (ILEP-SMILE), Archives of Medical Science. https://doi.org/10.5114/aoms/205732.