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Prevention guidelines for cardiovascular disease

The new guidelines highlight that hardening arteries which result in heart disease are due to a number of risk factors. Minimising these risk factors is critical.

The new European Society of Cardiology (ESC) guidelines were released at the ESC Annual Conference in Vienna.

The report summarises the characteristics of people who are more likely to remain free of heart disease.

The guidelines

People who are likely to stay healthy are summarised as 0 3 5 140 5 3 0.

• 0 = no tobacco
• 3 = walk 3 kilometres a day, or 30 minutes of moderate activity.
• 5 = servings of fruit and vegetables a day.
• 140 = blood pressure less than 140 mmHg systolic.
• 5 = total cholesterol less than 5 mmols per litre.
• 3 = LDL cholesterol less than 3 mmols per litre.
• 0 = avoid obesity and Type 2 diabetes.

The new guidelines reflect a consensus with most European health professional bodies.

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