New Mayo Clinic book offers plan to beat heart disease

'Mayo Clinic Healthy Heart for Life!' reveals innovative heart disease prevention and treatment plan

Heart disease is the nation's No.1 killer for both men and women. What's most astonishing is that almost 80 percent of heart disease is preventable.

In "Mayo Clinic Healthy Heart for Life!," available Jan. 31, 2012, the experts at Mayo Clinic introduce a comprehensive action plan to reduce the risks and life-changing effects of heart disease. Based on an Eat 5, Move 10, Sleep 8 program, "Mayo Clinic Healthy Heart for Life!" provides the latest, clinically proven information on heart disease prevention and a step-by-step quick-start plan.

According to Martha Grogan, M.D., medical editor of the "Mayo Clinic Healthy Heart for Life!" book, "It is imperative that everyone understand as much as possible about heart disease prevention, as 80 percent of heart disease can be avoided. Even when heart disease is not anticipated, prompt recognition and treatment are crucial to improve outcome — which is often a matter of life or death."

"Mayo Clinic Healthy Heart for Life!" is divided into four sections:

1. "Get Going!" introduces the Quick Start Plan, featuring three key actions to jump-start heart health: Eat 5, Move 10, Sleep 8. By eating at least five servings of fruits and vegetables, moving at least 10 extra minutes a day, and getting a solid eight hours of sleep, readers can take immediate charge and significantly improve heart health.
2. "10 Steps to Heart Health" provides an easy-to-follow action plan for improvement, including lifestyle changes, preparation and advice on the roles that sleep, weight and tobacco have on heart health.
3. "If You Have a Problem" illustrates "How the heart works" and "What can go wrong." Focusing on the top six heart conditions, this section provides management strategies for individuals with pre-existing heart conditions.
4. "How to Support Your Plan" provides additional tools for ongoing healthy-heart maintenance, including how to understand diagnostic tests, recipes for healthy meals, tips for stress and benefits of alternative medicine.

Additional information in "Mayo Clinic Healthy Heart for Life!" includes:

• A heart-health assessment to calculate risk of heart disease
• A guide to help readers create a customized plan
• Tips to minimize the effects of bad cholesterol
• What to expect during a medical evaluation
• Explanation of how heart disease symptoms affect women
• Advice on how to raise heart-healthy children
• Real-life stories of people living with heart disease

Published by Time Home Entertainment Inc., "Mayo Clinic Healthy Heart for Life!" ($25.95 U.S./hardcover) will be available on Jan. 31, 2012, online and at bookstores nationwide. Pre-orders are available now at major online retailers.

About Mayo Clinic

Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit worldwide leader in medical care, research and education for people from all walks of life. For more information, visit MayoClinic.com or MayoClinic.org/news.