Mixed
Adherence to a composite low-risk lifestyle profile (non-smoking, BMI <25, moderate alcohol, vigorous exercise, and specific dietary metrics) reduces the relative risk of major coronary events to 0.17 compared to non-adherent women.
To drastically lower your risk of heart disease, focus on a combination of habits rather than a single magic bullet. Stop smoking, keep your weight under a BMI of 25, engage in at least 30 minutes of brisk walking or similar activity daily, and consume moderate amounts of alcohol (if you drink). Crucially, prioritize a diet high in fiber, healthy fats, and folate while minimizing trans fats and high-glycemic foods. Even if you can't hit every target perfectly, moving in this direction significantly reduces risk.
Women in the low-risk category (who made up 3 percent of the population) had a relative risk of coronary events of 0.17 (95 percent confidence interval, 0.07 to 0.41) as compared with all the other women.
Why this rating
Large prospective cohort (84,129 women), long follow-up (14 years), but observational design limits causal certainty compared to RCTs.
Source
Primary Prevention of Coronary Heart Disease in Women through Diet and Lifestyle
Meir J. Stampfer et al. · New England Journal of Medicine · 2000
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