This article was sourced from Guthrie.com & Health.gov

Here are 10 fun facts about the heart:

  1. Your heart beats over 100,000 times per day.
  2. Your heart pumps about 1.5 gallons of blood every minute. Over the course of a day, that adds up to over 2,000 gallons.
  3. There are 60,000 miles of blood vessels in your body. That’s enough to go around the world twice.
  4. The average heartbeat of a woman is about 8 beats a minute faster than a man’s heartbeat.
  5. An adult heart is about the size of two hands clasped together. A child’s heart is about the size of a fist.
  6. Every cell in the human body gets blood from the heart except for the cornea.
  7. The right side of your heart pumps blood into your lungs. The left side of your heart pumps blood back through your body.
  8. The most number of heart attacks occur each year on Christmas Day. The day after Christmas and New Year’s Day are close behind.
  9. More heart attacks happen on a Monday than any other day of the week.
  10. Heart disease is the greatest threat to your health. That’s why it’s important to be good to your heart by following a heart-healthy lifestyle.

What can you do to keep a healthy heart?

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States. Take steps today to lower your risk of heart disease.

To help prevent heart disease, you can:

  • Eat healthy
  • Get active
  • Stay at a healthy weight
  • Quit smoking and stay away from secondhand smoke
  • Control your cholesterol and blood pressure
  • Drink alcohol only in moderation
  • Manage stress

Am I at risk for heart disease?

Anyone can get heart disease, but you’re at higher risk if you:

  • Have high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or diabetes
  • Smoke
  • Are overweight or have obesity
  • Don’t get enough physical activity
  • Don’t eat a healthy diet

Your age and family history also affect your risk for heart disease. Your risk is higher if:

  • You’re a woman over age 55
  • You’re a man over age 45
  • Your father or brother had heart disease before age 55
  • Your mother or sister had heart disease before age 65

But the good news is there’s a lot you can do to prevent heart disease.

What Is Heart Disease?

When people talk about heart disease, they’re usually talking about coronary heart disease (CHD). It’s also sometimes called coronary artery disease (CAD). This is the most common type of heart disease.

When someone has CHD, the coronary arteries (tubes) that take blood to the heart are narrow or blocked. This happens when cholesterol and fatty material, called plaque, build up inside the arteries.

Several things can lead to plaque building up inside your arteries, including:

  • Too much cholesterol in the blood
  • High blood pressure
  • Smoking
  • Too much sugar in the blood because of diabetes

When plaque blocks an artery, it’s hard for blood to flow to the heart. A blocked artery can cause chest pain or a heart attack.

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