Wellness Blog

New Online Calculator for Harvard School of Public Health Estimates Cardiovascular Disease Risk

A healthy lifestyle is one of the best insurance policies against developing heart disease or having a stroke. The free online survey, The Healthy Heart Score, can be found at www.healthyheartscore.com and provides practical tips for improving your score by incorporating new healthy habits into your life. While many current calculators look mainly at cholesterol levels and blood pressure, they don’t estimate the impact of your current habits- such as how many fruits and vegetables you consume daily- and may even underestimate your heart disease risk. This is the  first tool to be developed from large-scale, well-designed studies.

Most cardiovascular disease is preventable. The Healthy Heart Score is based on the nine most critical diet and lifestyle factors that can influence a your cardiovascular disease risk in the next 20 years: smoking, weight, exercise, and intake of alcohol, fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, sugary beverages, and red and processed meat. After taking the survey, you are provided with a printable assessment with tips for improving your diet and lifestyle.

Check it out. It should provide some important feedback!