Heart Health Month: What Mississippi Residents Can Do Right Now to Protect Their Hearts

Where Mississippi stands

Heart disease kills more Mississippians than any other cause. The factors driving the gap include higher rates of hypertension, diabetes, obesity, smoking, and physical inactivity, along with disparities in access to care across the state. None of these are easy to change individually. All of them compound over decades.

The numbers worth knowing

Several measurements matter for cardiovascular health. Knowing your numbers and what they mean is the foundation.

• Blood pressure. Target for most adults is below 130/80, with individual variation based on age and other conditions.
• Lipids including LDL cholesterol, HDL, triglycerides. Target LDL depends on overall cardiovascular risk and is often lower for patients with known disease or high risk.
• A1c if you have diabetes or prediabetes.
• Body weight and waist circumference.
• Resting heart rate.
• Smoking status.

What actually moves the numbers

Treating blood pressure

The single most cost effective cardiovascular intervention in the United States. Sustained blood pressure control reduces stroke, heart attack, kidney disease, and heart failure dramatically. The interventions that work:

• Medications, taken consistently. Most patients with hypertension need more than one medication for optimal control.
• Reducing sodium intake.
• Maintaining healthy weight.
• Limiting alcohol.
• Regular physical activity.
• Adequate sleep.
• Managing stress.

Treating cholesterol

Statins are the most studied class of cardiovascular medications. For patients with high cardiovascular risk, they reduce heart attacks, strokes, and cardiovascular deaths significantly. Other medications including ezetimibe, PCSK9 inhibitors, and bempedoic acid are available for specific situations. Lifestyle interventions including diet, weight, and exercise also affect lipids.

Diabetes control

Diabetes accelerates cardiovascular disease. Modern diabetes medications including GLP-1 receptor agonists and SGLT-2 inhibitors reduce cardiovascular events in many diabetic patients beyond their A1c lowering effects.

Stopping smoking

Smoking is one of the strongest cardiovascular risk factors. Quitting at any age produces meaningful benefit, with most cardiovascular risk reduction occurring within 1 to 5 years of stopping. Pharmacist supported quit programs combine medications including nicotine replacement, varenicline, and bupropion with counseling.

Physical activity

Moderate aerobic activity most days of the week and strength training twice weekly produce meaningful cardiovascular benefit. The effect of exercise on cardiovascular risk is independent of weight loss.

Where supplements fit

Several supplements have evidence in cardiovascular health. Most have modest effects compared to the foundational interventions.

• Omega 3 fatty acids reduce triglycerides at higher doses and may benefit specific patients with cardiovascular disease.
• Soluble fiber modestly reduces LDL.
• Plant sterols and stanols reduce LDL absorption.
• Magnesium has modest blood pressure effects in deficient patients.
• Vitamin D and CoQ10 are sometimes used as adjuncts but evidence for general cardiovascular benefit is weaker.

Supplements never replace foundational interventions. They work at the margins for patients already doing the foundations.

Home monitoring

Home blood pressure monitoring is one of the highest yield self management activities for cardiovascular health.

• Use an upper arm cuff, not a wrist device.
• Measure at the same times each day for at least a week before sharing with your clinician.
• Sit quietly for 5 minutes before measuring. Feet flat on the floor. Arm supported at heart level.
• Take two readings each time, a minute apart. Average them.
• Bring the log to your visits.

Patients who track home blood pressure typically have better controlled blood pressure than patients who rely on office readings only.

Specific situations

Patients with established cardiovascular disease

Need particularly tight control of blood pressure, cholesterol, and diabetes. Antiplatelet medications, statins, ACE inhibitors or ARBs, and beta blockers play specific roles depending on the condition. Pharmacist support for adherence and side effect management improves long term outcomes.

Patients with family history but no current diagnosis

Have higher long term risk. Earlier and more aggressive screening and prevention are reasonable. Conversation with your clinician about your risk profile, and possibly more advanced testing if available, can inform decisions.

Heart failure patients

Medication regimens have evolved significantly with newer therapies including ARNi medications, SGLT-2 inhibitors, and others. Daily weights, sodium restriction, and adherence matter. Pharmacist support is particularly useful.

When to talk to a pharmacist

• You take cardiovascular medications and want a medication review.
• Your blood pressure has not been at target despite medications.
• You take a statin and have side effects.
• You smoke and want help quitting.
• You are considering cardiovascular supplements.
• You are a caregiver supporting someone with heart disease.

This article is for general information only and is not a substitute for personalized medical advice. Before starting or changing any medication, including over the counter products and supplements, talk with your pharmacist or physician about your specific situation.