Cutting cardiac risk 7 ways

Trying to keep it simple, the American Heart Association identified seven behaviors -- what it calls "Life's Simple 7" -- that can make it less likely you'll develop heart problems.

As the name implies, the behaviors aren't supposed to be complex: get active, control cholesterol, eat better, manage blood pressure, lose weight, reduce blood sugar and stop smoking.

The catch is that you have to actually do them. And, it seems, most Americans don't.

In a survey published last fall in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings that spanned 11 years and included nearly 12,000 middle-aged people, researchers found that less than 1 percent of the participants -- 0.2 percent, to be precise -- met all seven criteria. And only 18 percent met five of the criteria.

Although adopting every one of the seven behaviors may seem unrealistic, the researchers noted that accomplishing even three or four can provide a jolt to your cardiovascular health.

Here are some tips from Long Island medical experts about how to make "Life's Simple 7" happen:

BREAK GOALS INTO LITTLE BITS, NOT BIG CHUNKS

"I try to set small, short-term goals for patients when I see them," said Dr. Stephen Mezzafonte, an interventional cardiologist at St. Francis Hospital in Roslyn. "If you think you have to lose 60 pounds, it's a daunting task. Instead, try to lose 5 pounds over a month. Then, you reach that goal and you're happy, and maybe it's another 5 pounds in another month. It's more of an achievable and manageable expectation."

DIET AND EXERCISE KEEP OTHER FACTORS IN BALANCE

What's most important might not be what you think, noted Dr. Amgad Makaryus, chairman of the cardiology department at Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow.

"While most people will probably think that the most important of these seven is taking pills to keep blood pressure and cholesterol under control, I tell patients -- unless their cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar are really high, like in patients with diabetes -- to focus first on staying active and eating right, which thereby allow them to lose weight and maintain a healthy weight," Makaryus said.

"And unless one maintains their blood sugar, especially if they are diabetic, quits smoking if they smoke and maintains their ideal weight," he said, "all the medications one takes to control blood pressure and cholesterol will not give ideal results and will not give the intended benefit of the Simple 7, which is the reduction in one's risk of death from cardiovascular disease."

STICK WITH MEDICATIONS

Medications can indeed help people accomplish several things on the American Heart Association's list. Plus, Mezzafonte acknowledged, "it's much easier to take pills than anything else."

So why doesn't everyone take the appropriate pills? "The problem is that, especially when you're treating cholesterol and blood pressure, you don't feel bad necessarily when you have high blood pressure," he said. "You don't feel that your blood pressure is high.

"When you feel fine and you're taking a pill, it becomes more of a nuisance at times," Mezzafonte said, especially if you're experiencing side effects. "You're thinking, 'I feel worse if I take this.' " Still, he noted, medication may be needed because "you can't always control your risk factor with lifestyle changes alone."

TRACK YOUR PROGRESS

"Keep a heart-healthy logbook so that you can record all of your heart-healthy numbers, such as blood pressure and cholesterol, and monitor your progress," suggested Dr. Jennifer Mieres, a senior vice president with the North Shore-LIJ Health System and a professor of cardiology at the Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine.

She also recommends finding ways to record your activity, like tracking the minutes of exercise you get each day and using a pedometer to record your steps. "Remember, you can get the recommended 30 minutes of exercise in 10-minute intervals," she said.

MAKE IT A JOINT EFFORT

"Find a friend or family member to join you in your commitment to heart-healthy living," Mieres said. "If you need to quit smoking, do not go it alone or stop cold turkey. Find a support group and join a smoking cessation program."