What's the Leading Cause of Death?

By Curt Buckley

If I asked you when National Breast Cancer Awareness Month was, most of you would probably know that it’s October. A lot of you would even know that different types of cancer, like breast and prostate, are the second leading cause of death among American men and women. But would you be able to tell me what month promotes awareness of the number one cause of death in the United States?

I imagine some of you could, but for those that don’t know, it’s February. Yes, this month is American Heart Month advocating for all Americans to stay on top of their heart health. There are no special-colored uniforms for sporting events or different color lids on yogurt reminding you to monitor your heart health—yet cardiovascular disease continues to be the number one cause of death.

This statistic is even more startling when you consider that there are some things—simple things—you can do to greatly reduce or eliminate your chances of developing heart-related diseases. Stay tuned the rest of this week as we outline the tips you can follow to keep your risk low during American Heart Month.



This is one in a series of posts on heart health. Find the others here:

• Are You Risky With Your Heart?
• Movin’ and Shakin’ Your Way to Health
• Eat Your Way to Heart Health
• It’s a Man’s Disease... Or Is It?