Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the country. And Michigan ranked 8th nationally in heart related deaths in 2016.
More than 600,000 people died from cardiovascular disease in 2016. Over 25,000 of those deaths were in Michigan.
Experts said 70 to 80% of heart disease is the result of inactivity and poor diet.
Dr. Tiffany Powell-Wiley is an intramural investigator at the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute.
“It’s never too late or too early to improve your heart health, so what we want people to know is that they need to move with heart, they need to try and get their 150 minutes per week of physical activity, and they want to try and reduce the amount of time they spend sitting throughout the week and focus on a more heart healthy diet.”
Dr. Powell-Wiley said family history, high blood pressure, and smoking are also leading contributors to heart disease.
February is American Heart Month. Powell-Wiley said the hope is to get people to “move with heart” throughout the month in an effort to decrease heart disease in Michigan and throughout the country.