A healthy diet, regular exercise, and managing stress are often cited as important lifestyle choices to reduce your risk of heart disease. But a new national survey by El Camino Health reveals that Americans often don’t consider two additional risk factors: social isolation and mental health.

The survey found that nearly two-thirds (68%) of respondents were unaware that social isolation can increase the risk of heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States. . Additionally, while the majority of respondents acknowledged stress, a Feb. 22 El Camino Health press release notes that while exercise and nutrition are important factors in cardiovascular health, mental health Only about half (53%) were aware of their role.

“Basically, what this study showed is that people recognize that nutrition and exercise are beneficial to cardiovascular health. They are aware of how much of a role mental factors play in it. We didn’t realize what we were doing,” said Dr. Frederick St. Gore, medical director of El Camino Health’s Norma Melchor Heart and Vascular Institute.

Dr. St. Goar emphasized the importance of social and emotional connection in the role of heart health and how it can reduce stress and help people live longer lives. “I have a lot of patients who are in their late 80s and 90s. And what’s amazing to me, and one of the things I see over and over again, is patients who are living longer lives, and patients who are living longer lives. Patients who are not only alive but thriving are truly engaged patients,” Dr. St. Goer said.

On the other hand, social isolation can lead to increased stress, which is known to affect blood pressure, hormones, and cortisol levels, cause systemic inflammation, and potentially promote cardiovascular disease. St. Goar said.

For these reasons, St. Gore said it’s important for health care professionals to take a holistic approach to heart health and work collaboratively with patients. This includes not only addressing nutrition and exercise, but also talking to patients about the importance of social interaction, asking questions about whether they are connected to their families and how many times a week they go out to lunch with others. It will be.

“It’s these simple little questions that encourage people to do more of those things,” St. Gore said, adding that about 90 percent of cardiovascular risk factors can be actively addressed.

Detection interventions such as lipid, glucose and cholesterol screening are important, as well as monitoring body mass index (BMI), nutritional status and physical activity, along with drug therapy, St. Goar said.

Still, cardiovascular disease is a health equity issue that can complicate the effectiveness of these interventions. “People who have less access to supportive resources have less time to take care of themselves. They may not exercise as much or follow a healthy diet, so I I’m always worried and concerned that it’s going to increase health inequalities, basically social inequalities,” St. Goar said.

To address these issues and more, El Camino Health will host an annual heart forum next month to educate community members about advances in the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of heart disease. The forum will be held on Saturday, April 27th at El Camino Health’s Mountain View campus.

“I think it’s going to be really important to spark a conversation about what those risk factors are and what we can do to get our audience thinking about positively impacting those risk factors. I hope so,” St. Goar said.

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