You brush your teeth, grab your coffee, and head to work. These daily routines feel harmless, but some everyday habits might quietly damage your heart. More than 800,000 Americans have heart attacks each year, and heart disease remains the leading cause of death nationwide. Many people focus on obvious risks like smoking or poor diet, yet overlook small daily behaviors that put their health at risk. Learning how to avoid heart attacks through simple lifestyle changes could save your life. Leading cardiologists reveal seven proven strategies to protect your heart.
What Happens During a Heart Attack
When a blood clot blocks one of the arteries feeding your heart muscle, it cuts off the oxygen supply, and then every minute starts to count. Dr. Christopher Broyd, consultant cardiologist, warns that without oxygen, your heart muscle starts dying within minutes. How severe the damage becomes depends on how long the blockage stays during a heart attack, which can last anywhere from minutes to hours without treatment. The difficult part is that they often come from years of artery damage caused by everyday choices.
