Nature Made, WomenHeart join forces to keep Americans heart healthy

Despite broad concern about heart disease as a leading cause of death in the United States, a recent survey of American adults sponsored by Nature Made® and WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease, found that many disregard taking some of the basic steps to support a healthy heart. In honor of World Heart Day (September 26, 2010), Nature Made and WomenHeart have joined forces to give Americans tools to keep their hearts healthy and provide easy tips on how to narrow the "proactivity gap."

“It's important for all Americans to change this mindset and make heart healthy choices now that will have positive impacts for the future.”

In a survey conducted by ORC, an Infogroup Company on behalf of Nature Made and WomenHeart, 87 percent of survey respondents say they are somewhat or very concerned about keeping their hearts healthy when it comes to their daily lifestyle and 94 percent say they feel somewhat or very informed about how to keep their hearts healthy. However, when asked about the importance of taking certain simple steps to help keep their hearts healthy, such as getting regular exercise or taking vitamins and supplements, and whether they actually take these steps for this purpose, respondents report a number of significant gaps between their beliefs and behaviors.

For instance, 94 percent of respondents say that getting at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise at least three times per week is somewhat or very important, but only 69 percent report to actually do so.

"Clearly, knowing that heart health is important and being concerned about it is not enough, so I hope this is a wake-up call," said Dr. Melina Jampolis, MD and specialist in nutrition. "It's important for all Americans to change this mindset and make heart healthy choices now that will have positive impacts for the future."