Baby Boomers and Heart Disease: What You Need to Know



Sixty years ago, when the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), Prudential, and Aon Insurance Services took their first steps to partner together, many CPAs were taking their very first steps, as well. In the years since, the men and women born during the early years of that partnership - the Baby Boomers - have become an important segment of the Institute's membership.

There are more than 175,000 AICPA members who, as Baby Boomers, are grappling with high cholesterol, a leading factor in developing cardiovascular diseases - specifically, heart disease. Cardiovascular disease kills 950,000 Americans each year and is the leading cause of death in this country.1 Baby Boomers are now at the greatest risk and need to pay particular attention to maintaining good heart health.

What can Baby Boomers do to stem the tide of heart-related problems?
A great first step in beating the odds of developing heart disease is to get your cholesterol in check. In fact, lowering your cholesterol may reduce your risk of heart attack. And while you may be genetically pre-disposed to have too much "bad" cholesterol, or LDL, there are steps you can take to stay healthy. For instance:

  • Reduce your intake of saturated fats found in animal products, such as beef, pork, and lamb, as well as high-fat dairy. Instead, eat protein-rich foods like lean chicken or fish, and make sure your dairy is low- or non-fat.
  • Substitute heart-healthy fats, such as olive or canola oils, in place of corn and coconut oils. While olive and canola oils are still fats, they increase your amount of HDL, or "good" cholesterol.
  • Cut simple carbohydrates like white bread, cookies, and french fries from your diet. Add whole grain options like wheat bread, instead. Besides changing your diet to get your cholesterol in check, you may also want to consider consulting your doctor for advice on more ways to prevent heart disease. Your doctor may tell you to:

    • Get a stress test. Doctors at Johns Hopkins University say they found stress tests can help predict who is most likely to suffer a heart attack or die from heart disease, even if the patient has shown no signs of heart disease.2
  • Increase your physical activity. Even mild exercise over five half-hour sessions a week, can help lower your risk of having a heart attack.

  1. Preventing Heart Disease, American College of Cardiology, 2006.
  2. "Exercise Stress Testing Helps Identify Coronary Heart Disease Risk", The JHU Gazette, David March, 9/26/05.
  3. Quit smoking, if you are a smoker. According to the American Heart Association, smokers are twice as likely as non-smokers to die of sudden cardiac arrest.

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