Hit or myth.(heart disease)(Brief Article)

Certain aspects of heart disease prevention are no-brainers. We know we should eat a balanced diet rich in fruits and vegetables, exercise regularly and, of course, not smoke. But when it comes to such factors as genetics and gender, there's a lot of conflicting information out there. The following is intended to help discern fact from fiction.

Myth: Heredity is the biggest risk for heart disease.

"You're not doomed just because your parents had heart disease," says Liz Applegate, M.D., a professor of nutrition at the University of California-Davis, and author of Eat Your Way to a Healthy Heart (Prentice Hall, 1999). "It just makes it more imperative to take control." While it's true that people. whose parents had heart disease are more likely to develop it than those who don't have a family history of it, the American Heart Association (AHA) says that every lifestyle factor--physical inactivity, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, cigarette smoking--increases your heart disease risk exponentially. The bottom line: The more factors you can take control of, the more impact you'll have on lowering your risk of heart disease.

Myth: Heart disease is primarily a man's disease.

According to the AHA, men do have a higher risk of heart attack than women. But more women suffer fatal heart attacks than do men. In her book, Applegate cites studies showing women to be twice as likely as men to die within the 12 months following a heart attack. About 450,000 men and 500,000 women die each year from cardiovascular disease, making it the No. 1 cause of death in the United States. And while men statistically tend to develop heart disease about 10 years earlier than women, by age 65 a woman's risk of heart attack is equal to a man's.

Myth: Prevention means Eating a salt-free diet

Sodium is essential for the body to function properly. "People need sodium to regulate fluid balance," explains Applegate. It also helps cells absorb nutrients--but that's a delicate balance. Evidence suggests that an increased intake of salt adversely affects blood pressure and can contribute to heart disease. The AHA recommends less than 6 grams per day, or 2,400 mg. of sodium (about 1 teaspoon) for healthy adults. Those with heart disease should consume even less. But you need to mind more than just the salt shaker. Beware of "hidden" ...