Celebrating February as American Heart Month
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – February is American Heart Month, a time to shine a spotlight on the nation’s number one killer- heart disease. However, experts say the good news is that many cases are preventable.
One of the nation’s top experts on cardiovascular health, Dr. Clyde Yancy from Northwestern Medicine, has been at the forefront of research and prevention efforts.
“Traditionally we think about all the don’ts: don’t smoke, don’t eat certain things- but we should think about the do’s. Be more active. We should think about heart-healthy diets,” Dr. Clyde Yancy, Chief of Cardiology Northwestern.
Heart disease claims nearly 700,000 American lives each year, but experts say that many of these deaths are preventable.
Dr. Yancy emphasizes that high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and smoking are three of the biggest risk factors for heart disease. But it’s not just about numbers- It’s about making sustainable lifestyle changes.
“We know these risk factors, high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity, hypertension, smoking, but there way that we can modify those risks,” Dr. Clyde Yancy Chief of Cardiology Northwestern.
Dr. Yancy also points out that heart disease disproportionately affects African Americans and other minority communities.
Research at Northwestern’s Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute is working to close these health gaps.
