Protect Your Heart and Your Health with an Aspirin a Day

Aspirin and Heart Health

You don’t have to look far to find someone who’s been impacted by heart disease or colon cancer. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. It claims the lives of about 610,000 people a year, and far more suffer from a heart attack or stroke. And while colorectal cancer isn’t nearly as deadly, about 140,000 people a year are diagnosed with this disease.

Is there anything you can do about it? Or do you just deal with the cards you’re dealt when it happens? It’s true that your family medical history likely plays a role in your risk for heart disease and cancer. But your lifestyle habits usually have a much bigger impact on your health and longevity. How often do you exercise? Do you eat a healthy diet? Get preventive exams and medical care? Maintain a healthy weight, and get adequate sleep? They’re all factors that contribute to your overall health.

Zero in on heart disease and colorectal cancer, and there’s at least one more thing you can do to control your risk, in addition to healthy lifestyle habits. And it’s easy and inexpensive. Want to know what it is? An aspirin a day, especially if you’re in your 50s. In a recent announcement by members of the U.S. Preventive Task Force, health experts said this simple, low-cost, low-dose action can have a big impact on reducing your risk for heart disease, stroke, and colorectal cancer. The effective low-dose recommendation: 81 mg of aspirin a day. Read the label on the bottle to find out how much aspirin is in the tablet.

If you’re thinking about taking a daily low-dose of aspirin, talk to your doctor. There may be other things you can do, in addition to this, to lower your risk for heart disease, stroke, and colorectal cancer.

One of those things includes eating a healthy diet that’s low in sodium, and high in vitamins, minerals, and nutrients from healthy foods like fruits, vegetables, legumes, lean meals, whole grains, and low-fat dairy products. Want to eat for heart health, cut back on sodium, and still enjoy tasty, mouth-watering meals? Check out all MagicKitchen.com Low Sodium meals.