The Complex, Crowded Landscape of Heart Health

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of death in the U.S. despite significant strides made to provide people with the means to prevent related health issues like heart attacks, strokes, heart failure, arrhythmia, and heart valve problems.

According to the American Heart Association, 80% of all CVD cases and related morbid outcomes can be prevented in those at risk through interventions in medicine, nutrition, lifestyle, smoking habits, and exercise. Still, CVD maintains its rank as the number-one killer of Americans, costing healthcare systems about $1 billion every day and killing hundreds of millions each year. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than half of those living in the U.S. have at least one CVD risk factor.

Despite the growing body of nutritional science surrounding the functions that foods and dietary supplements might play in maintaining cardiovascular health, no significant decreases in heart disease rates have been achieved in most populations over the past several decades. That fact, compounded with an aging population, means that heart disease is slated to become an even greater socia