Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death and severe disability in the world. A person dies every 40 seconds due to heart disease and its related symptoms. There is a lot that goes into keeping your heart healthy and living a good and medically uncomplicated life. Some of the options are easier than others though, at least as far as execution is concerned.
The easiest way to improve your heart health and lower your risk of developing cardiovascular disease is to simply cut down on the amount of calories you’re eating – it’s really that easy. According to recent research, a person can drastically improve their heart health by reducing their caloric intake by 300 calories a day. For most people this means reducing their caloric intake by about 12%.
A modest amount of calorie restriction like this is a great way to trigger weight loss which naturally improves your heart health. On average, participants in the study lost about 16.5 pounds over a two-year period. They also experienced significant reductions in cholesterol and blood pressure.
Although practicing caloric restriction will help you lose weight and receive some positive health benefits, researchers don’t believe weight loss is the only reason for its success. Researchers believe that weight loss is only responsible for 25% of the effects on calorie restriction on the heart.
But as powerful as restricting calorie consumption can be for a person’s health, it is still not a permanent health solution. It is very difficult to maintain this type of diet for a long period of time. This is especially true for young and elderly people who need the full recommended daily amount of calories to maintain their health.
