Only about 1% of the men involved in the study fit into this ultra-healthy-living category. But they were 86% less likely to have heart attacks than those who ate poorly, were overweight, exercised too little, smoked and drank too much alcohol, the researchers said.
The healthiest men could still eventually die of a heart attack, of course, and the study didn’t say if they live longer than others.
Still, “there is a lot to gain and money to be saved if people had a healthier lifestyle,” said study lead author Agnete Akesson, an associate professor with the Institute of Environmental Medicine at Karolinska Institute in Solna, Sweden.
For the study, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, the researchers examined medical records and surveys of more than 20,700 Swedish men who were 45 to 79 years old in 1997. At the time, they had no history of cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure or high cholesterol. The researchers tracked them until 2009 to see how they fared.
8% of the men – 1,724 – did not practice any of the 5 healthy behaviors, and 166 of that group suffered heart attacks.
Of the 1% of men – 212- who practiced all 5 healthy behaviors, only 3 had heart attacks.
Based on their findings, the researchers concluded that all 5 healthy behaviors together could prevent 79% of first heart attacks in men.
Also, each behavior by itself reduced the risk for heart attack. For example, eating a diet rich in beneficial foods, such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, reduced-fat dairy and whole grains was associated with a nearly 20% lower risk compared to those who practiced none of the healthy behaviors, the study found.
