The American Heart Association has reasons to be proud as it can achieve its goal of decreasing heart attacks and strokes death rates by 25% by the end of 2010. The latest reports show a major drop in death rates concerning heart attacks and strokes in the U.S, showing that the preventive measures that were taken worked and that people understood the importance of living a healthy life.

 The death rates for heart attack and strokes have dropped by a staggering 30% between 1999 and 2006. The reduction was made progressively as the problems killed less people every year.

Unfortunately, there is some bad news as experts say that even though the death rates have decreased there is an obvious rise in the risk factors leading to heart problems and strokes. There is a clear rise in obesity rates, diabetes and physical inactivity and more and more people are suffering from hypertension, some of them not even being aware of this fact.

According to data 829,072 Americans died of heart attack and stroke in 2006 and approximately 2,400 Americans die of cardiovascular disease each day, an average of one death every 37 seconds. This means that there is still a lot of work to be done in this field.

People need to understand that exercising and keeping a balanced diet can benefit their health and provide for a more peaceful life. Excess, of any kind, shouldn’t be encouraged and people should really try to give up eating food rich in fat and try eating a salad every now and again.