Millennials Should Pay Attention to Heart Health Sooner Rather Than Later
Written by Angela D. Smith
It’s no secret that heart disease is the leading cause of death for people living in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control, about 695,000 people in the U.S. died from heart disease in 2021 and the condition costs billions of dollars to treat each year.
So, why should millennials pay attention to their heart health? Surely, this data must primarily represent older people, so why worry about heart disease when there are so many other concerns on a millennial’s plate?
Interventional cardiologist and author of “The Vegan Heart Doctor’s Guide to Reversing Heart Disease, Losing Weight, and Reclaiming Your Life,” Heather Shenkman, MD, helps shed more light on why millennials should pay attention to their hearts sooner rather than later, and the importance of understanding family history and risk factors associated with cardiovascular health.
Understand Your Family History
Understanding family health history is important for a myriad of conditions. For millennials, knowing if any immediate family members have had a cardiovascular event, such as a stroke or heart attack before the age of 60 is vital to share with your healthcare providers.
Why? Well, you might not realize now, but “this may indicate an inherited predisposition for heart disease,” warns Shenkman.
She has seen an increase of millennial patients in her practice due to an increase in awareness among them of the hereditary link to heart disease and a belief that managing risks at a younger age can help reduce their chance of developing heart problems later in life.
Source: Health Matters
Many Heart Disease Risks are Preventable
“About 80% of heart disease is preventable by lifestyle,” Shenkman points out. A significant percentage that challenges all Americans to take a hard look at both nutrition and exercise.
“By adopting healthy habits earlier in life, in particular exercising and following a healthy diet, you can reduce your risk of developing high blood pressure, diabetes, coronary artery disease, heart attacks, strokes, and more later in life,” Shenkman said.
There are many risk factors for heart disease to be aware of, several that are common and others connected to lifestyle. In addition to knowing family history, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes, millennials should be aware of these five risks to heart health.
Five Lifestyle Risk Factors Connected to Heart Disease
Smoking
Heavy Alcohol Use
Unhealthy Diet Choices
Lack of Exercise | Sedentary Lifestyle
Male Gender
Heather Shenkman, MD, FACC, is an interventional and preventive cardiologist practicing in Tarzana, California. While she treats patients who have all stages of heart disease with complex procedures, such as angioplasties, she also works with patients to reduce their risk of developing heart disease by encouraging patients to incorporate plant-based foods and exercise into their lifestyles.
Learn more about Dr. Shenkman and her practice here.
A less commonly known risk factor that Shenkman highlights is elevated lipoprotein A levels or Lp(a), a protein that carries cholesterol in the blood. A person with an elevated Lp(a) level is at a higher risk for experiencing a heart attack or stroke. Fortunately, Lp(a) levels can be detected in blood work and knowing your level can make a difference in your health lifelong.
“While we don't have commercially available treatments that specifically lower lipoprotein A and reduce risk, it is good to be aware of an elevated level, as your doctor may recommend more aggressive lifestyle measures to reduce your cardiovascular risk,” Shenkman said.
Adding that, “An appropriate screening for any millennial would be a blood pressure check to evaluate for hypertension (high blood pressure) and blood work to assess cholesterol levels. Depending on symptoms, more extensive testing may be appropriate.”
Screenings and Tests to Understand Your Risk
So, where do you start if you are concerned about your heart health?
Identify some sustainable changes like eating at home and going for a walk. Talk to your healthcare provider about your family history and whether you should be screened or have blood work done to assess your heart’s health and identify risk factors.
“The most important thing millennials should understand is that they have the power to reduce risk through healthy lifestyle choices. By adopting and maintaining habits of regular exercise and healthy eating, a millennial can do a lot to reduce his/her risk when older,” Shenkman emphasized.
The Sooner the Better for Heart Health
The message is loud and the data is clear, millennials should pay attention to their heart health because their choices today will impact their hearts tomorrow.
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