. . . it's not that hard to virtually eliminate the risk! Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is the largest cause of natural death in the US. Most people who die from a sudden heart attack never realized they were at risk, especially women. But by taking care of the fundamentals, you can bring your risk of SCD down to virtually zero! A recent study published in JAMA analyzed data from the Nurses' Health Study, which followed 81,000 women over a 26-year period to see how four healthy lifestyle factors affected risk for SCD. Although only women were involved, the findings would apply to men as well. 1. Not smoking - reduced risk by 75% 2. A Body Mass Index of less than 25 - reduced risk by 56% 3. Exercising at least 30 minutes a day - reduced risk by 72% 4. Following a Mediterranean-type diet, emphasizing high intake of vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes, whole grains and fish, along with moderate alcohol consumption - reduced risk by 40% All four factors combined reduced the…

Deficiency of vitamin E is more predictive of heart disease and cardiac death than any other single factorOne of the most important nutrients to protect the heart is vitamin E. Yet according to a study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, only 8% of adult men and 2.4% of adult women in the US met the Estimated Average Requirements (EARs) for alpha-tocopherol intake. Even worse, EARs are about 20% lower than the Recommended Daily Allowances (RDAs).Although many factors are involved in creating heart disease low levels of vitamin E are more predictive of heart disease and cardiac death than any other single factor. Vitamin E inhibits the oxidation of LDL cholesterol, preventing atherosclerosis. When you prevent atherosclerotic plaque, you automatically help to lower blood pressure.In 1910, when heart disease was relatively rare, most people got at least 100 IU a day from freshly milled and baked stone ground whole wheat bread. Yet almost all Americans today…