the editor talks with you

Some time ago, a publishing rival spread the rumor that I had a heart condition and wasn’t expected to live. That gave our family a good laugh. They had lived with me for more years than most of us can count. Even my few friends thought I was too mean to die. Joking aside, heart disease is a serious matter. Without it, cancer, strokes and other human afflictions, our hospitals would close, our doctors retire or go to law school and millions of nurses, technicians and other support staff would look for other work.

Our greatest achievement over the last 100 years has been a huge decline in death rates from heart disease and stroke, science writer Betsy McKay says. Anti-smoking campaigns, medications for blood pressure and cholesterol and surgical advances have extended millions of lives. But that progress has slowed. Death from heart disease and strokes has fallen just 4% since 2011 after dropping more than 70% over 60 years, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Believe it or not, death rates are climbing for middle-aged Americans. The decline in heart disease had been expected to fall below cancer to become the No. 2 cause of death in the U.S. by 2020. That no longer seems likely. The decline in life expectancy has been blamed on drug overdoses and suicide.

Obesity is another grim reaper. When journalist friends from Ukraine visited us here, they were amazed by the weight of the average American. In contrast, they are slim and trim. They consume a high protein, vegetable and fruit diet and walk almost everywhere. If you want to frustrate most of us, take away our car keys – and our barbecue. Obesity and Type 2 diabetes are to blame for increased heart disease, cardiologists say. Studies have linked obesity and diabetes to high blood pressure and other conditions that increase the risk of heart attacks, strokes and heart failure. Obesity began rising in the early 1980s and Type 2 diabetes rates took off. Dr. Steven Nissen of the famous Cleveland Clinic said heart disease patients now are younger, fatter and female. Almost 40% of adult Americans age 20 and over are obese, another 32% overweight and 9.4% have diabetes, according to the CDC.

Obesity and high blood pressure are reversing the gains of public-health campaigns against smoking and such innovations as cholesterol-lowering statin drugs. Statin drugs have saved millions of Americans from life-threatening blood vessel blockages that cause heart attacks. I hope you as one of our readers are aware of the risks all of us run from eating too much fat, not enough vegetables, fruit and high protein foods, getting regular exercise if no more than an early morning walk while it is still cool enough to enjoy. As for me – and I don’t consider this bragging – I work out with our fitness columnist Rachel Maxwell 5 mornings a week. I fully enjoy but watch what I eat, get 7 hours sleep each night and a nap in the afternoon, see my cardiologist regularly, think positively about our challenges and pray God will give me 15 more years. If you hear I’m ill, just tell the rumor monger I’m too mean to die – yet.

Next: It’s never too late

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