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CNN Live At Daybreak

Risk Factors for Heart Disease

Aired August 20, 2003 - 06:53   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Let's talk health news now. Heart disease, it is the number one killer in the United States and around the world. New research provides more evidence that certain risk factors play a role in the vast majority of cases.
Dr. Sandra Fryhofer is here to tell us all about that and what to look for.

DR. SANDRA FRYHOFER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, it's all about trying to stay one step ahead of heart disease. And for years we've been told that traditional risk factors account for only 50 percent of people who go on to develop heart disease. This is the so- called 50 percent rule. And that led scientists over the last 10 years to look for new ways to figure out who's at risk.

But these new studies debunk the 50 percent rule and find that tradition holds true after all. In fact, 80 to 90 percent of people who develop heart disease and more than 95 percent of people who die of a heart attack did, indeed, have at least one of the major cardiac risk factors. And we're talking about high cholesterol levels, of 240 and above; high blood pressure, that means a pressure of 140 over 90 and above; diabetes; and, of course, cigarette smoking.

Another clear message from these studies, you need to find out where you stand. Which means you need to have your own blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar checked. These traditional risk factors are controllable with medications and preventable to a certain extent by healthy lifestyles. So it's really back to basics.

COSTELLO: Yes, and by basics you mean watch your weight and exercise. Those things will help you, right?

FRYHOFER: Exactly, Carol. And exercise is so important. And the CDC has actually drawn the definition of what counts as exercise. And it now includes daily activities like gardening, housework, as well as jogging and lifting weights. But even with this expanded exercise definition, more than half of Americans still aren't getting the recommended 30 minutes of moderate activity on most days of the week. And if you want to lose weight, you need to do more. The Institute of Medicine says you need 60 minutes of moderate activity each day. And this can include brisk walking, dancing, raking, shoveling snow, as well as scrubbing floors and washing windows. Exercise helps modify these traditional cardiac risk factors. It lowers blood pressure, helps with cholesterol levels, helps keep those pounds off that contribute to diabetes. So we've got to do it.

COSTELLO: So we've got to dance. FRYHOFER: We've got to dance.

COSTELLO: Thank you, Dr. Fryhofer. That made me laugh for some reason.

FRYHOFER: I actually do. I tap dance.

COSTELLO: While you clean? That would be interesting.

FRYHOFER: No, not while I clean. I should try that.

COSTELLO: It would be more fun. Yes.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired August 20, 2003 - 06:53   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Let's talk health news now. Heart disease, it is the number one killer in the United States and around the world. New research provides more evidence that certain risk factors play a role in the vast majority of cases.
Dr. Sandra Fryhofer is here to tell us all about that and what to look for.

DR. SANDRA FRYHOFER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, it's all about trying to stay one step ahead of heart disease. And for years we've been told that traditional risk factors account for only 50 percent of people who go on to develop heart disease. This is the so- called 50 percent rule. And that led scientists over the last 10 years to look for new ways to figure out who's at risk.

But these new studies debunk the 50 percent rule and find that tradition holds true after all. In fact, 80 to 90 percent of people who develop heart disease and more than 95 percent of people who die of a heart attack did, indeed, have at least one of the major cardiac risk factors. And we're talking about high cholesterol levels, of 240 and above; high blood pressure, that means a pressure of 140 over 90 and above; diabetes; and, of course, cigarette smoking.

Another clear message from these studies, you need to find out where you stand. Which means you need to have your own blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar checked. These traditional risk factors are controllable with medications and preventable to a certain extent by healthy lifestyles. So it's really back to basics.

COSTELLO: Yes, and by basics you mean watch your weight and exercise. Those things will help you, right?

FRYHOFER: Exactly, Carol. And exercise is so important. And the CDC has actually drawn the definition of what counts as exercise. And it now includes daily activities like gardening, housework, as well as jogging and lifting weights. But even with this expanded exercise definition, more than half of Americans still aren't getting the recommended 30 minutes of moderate activity on most days of the week. And if you want to lose weight, you need to do more. The Institute of Medicine says you need 60 minutes of moderate activity each day. And this can include brisk walking, dancing, raking, shoveling snow, as well as scrubbing floors and washing windows. Exercise helps modify these traditional cardiac risk factors. It lowers blood pressure, helps with cholesterol levels, helps keep those pounds off that contribute to diabetes. So we've got to do it.

COSTELLO: So we've got to dance. FRYHOFER: We've got to dance.

COSTELLO: Thank you, Dr. Fryhofer. That made me laugh for some reason.

FRYHOFER: I actually do. I tap dance.

COSTELLO: While you clean? That would be interesting.

FRYHOFER: No, not while I clean. I should try that.

COSTELLO: It would be more fun. Yes.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com