The most recent National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), administered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), reports that less than eight percent of Americans are in the low-risk category when it comes to potential heart disease. The NHANES program is a four-decade attempt to evaluate the country's health by conducting surveys and physical exams with a rotating sample group of about 10,000 Americans. The most recent data is from a group studied from 1999-2004.
Investigators focused on people in the 25-to-74 age group and evaluated five different risk factors for cardiovascular disease: blood pressure, cholesterol, smoking history, obesity and diabetes. To be considered at low risk, subjects had to have a blood pressure reading of 120/80 mm Hg or lower without the aid of medication and a cholesterol level below 200 mg/dL, also without drugs. They had to be nonsmokers or at least former smokers, not be overweight or obese, and never have been diagnosed with diabetes.
Yup. Less than eight percent.
And it looks like it's only going to get worse. According to a 2008 survey by the CDC, 32% of American children are now overweight or obese. As these children grow up, they're going to be high risk candidates.
The numbers are terrifying. Don't let yourself be a statistic. Take control now, and start improving your health. Talk with your doctor. Make a plan. Get healthy.
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