February has arrived, marking American Heart Month, a time to spotlight the leading cause of death in the United States: heart disease. The American Heart Association’s newest Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics update reinforces a key point: while the numbers are sobering, most cardiovascular disease is preventable with sustainable lifestyle changes.
To honor the significance of this month and raise awareness, below are must-know statistics, plus practical, research-backed tips you can start using today.
What Is Heart Disease?
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) uses heart disease as a broad term for conditions that affect the heart’s structure or function. One major category within it is cardiovascular disease, which includes diseases affecting the heart and blood vessels.
What Medical Emergencies Stem from Heart Disease?
Heart disease can lead to serious, time-sensitive emergencies, including:
- Heart attack (myocardial infarction): Happens when blood flow (and oxygen) to the heart is blocked, damage increases the longer heart tissue goes without oxygen.
- Cardiac arrest: The heart suddenly stops pumping effectively, stopping blood flow to vital organs.
- Stroke (TIA/CVA): Blood flow to the brain is blocked (or a vessel ruptures), depriving brain tissue of oxygen and nutrients.
If you suspect a heart attack or stroke, call emergency services immediately.
How Many People in the U.S. Does Heart Disease Affect?
Even after decades as America’s top cause of death, awareness is still lagging, yet the numbers are striking:
- Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S.
- One person dies every ~34 seconds from cardiovascular disease (a category that includes heart disease and stroke).
- In 2023, the CDC reports 680,981 deaths from heart disease in the U.S.
- In 2023, 919,032 people died from cardiovascular disease, which is about 1 in 3 deaths.
- The American Heart Association’s 2026 update emphasizes that improving cardiovascular health is possible, but it takes sustained effort across lifestyle factors.
A growing concern: heart attacks in younger adults
Heart disease isn’t only an “older adult” issue anymore. A major trend clinicians are watching: more heart attacks in adults under 40.
- Heart attack rates in people under 40 rose nearly 2% per year in a long-running study (2000–2016).
- Today, about 1 in 5 heart attacks occurs in people under 40.
Why this matters: Younger adults often skip routine screening, so high blood pressure, cholesterol issues, and early metabolic risk can go undetected for years.
Is Heart Disease Preventable?
In many cases, yes. Public health guidance continues to emphasize that a large share of cardiovascular disease can be prevented through lifestyle and risk-factor management.
A practical framework is the AHA’s Life’s Essential 8, which focuses on: diet, physical activity, nicotine exposure, sleep, weight, cholesterol, blood sugar, and blood pressure.
Heart-Healthy Tips You Can Start This Month
1) Know your numbers (and re-check them)
Regular checkups help catch silent risks early, especially blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar. The VA’s American Heart Month guidance highlights routine care and risk-factor management as foundational prevention.
2) Move more; consistency beats intensity
Many adults still don’t hit recommended activity targets. Recent reporting tied to AHA guidance notes that fewer than 25% of adults meet recommended exercise levels (150 minutes moderate or 75 minutes vigorous weekly, plus strength training).
Easy ways to make it real:
- Take a 10–15 minute walk after meals
- “Snack” on movement: 5 minutes of stairs, brisk walking, or bodyweight moves
- Add two short strength sessions weekly (even 15–20 minutes)
3) Fiber: a simple target that can move the needle
Recent syntheses of research continue to support a consistent message: more fiber is associated with lower cardiovascular risk.
A ZOE summary of a meta-analysis reports:
- +7 grams/day of fiber was associated with -9% lower cardiovascular risk
- A practical daily goal is around 30 grams/day
For added context, Harvard Health also summarizes evidence linking fiber-rich diets with meaningfully lower heart attack and stroke risk.
Easy fiber upgrades (no “diet overhaul” required):
- Add beans or lentils to 2–3 meals/week
- Swap refined grains for oats, barley, quinoa, or whole wheat
- Aim for 1 fruit + 1 veggie at each meal
- Snack on nuts, berries, or hummus + veggies instead of packaged sweets
4) Protein quality matters (especially for blood pressure)
More recent research is shifting the conversation from “protein type” to protein source and processing level.
- UTHealth reports findings suggesting minimally processed plant proteins are linked to lower hypertension risk, and that some minimally processed animal proteins may fit into a healthy pattern without raising hypertension risk.
- The American Heart Association similarly highlighted that a greater number and variety of minimally processed plant-based proteins may help lower high blood pressure risk.
Watch-out trend: ultra-processed foods (even if “plant-based”)
A growing body of research suggests that ultra-processed eating patterns can raise cardiovascular risk. even when foods are technically plant-based.
- An analysis reported by Imperial College London found higher cardiovascular risks associated with plant-based ultra-processed foods compared with less processed plant foods.
Practical takeaway: Choose whole-food proteins most often (beans, lentils, tofu/tempeh, nuts, yogurt, eggs, fish, poultry, lean meats), and treat ultra-processed “protein products” as occasional, not daily staples.
Make your plate more heart-forward
- Build meals around fiber-rich plants
- Keep protein minimally processed most of the time
- Reduce added sugars and excess sodium
- Limit ultra-processed snacks/meals when you can
Don’t ignore sleep and stress
Poor sleep and chronic stress can worsen blood pressure, blood sugar, and inflammation. Aim for 7–9 hours and add one stress “reset” per day (breathing, stretching, a walk outside, or a short meditation).
Learn Hands-Only CPR
Lifestyle prevention is huge, but emergencies happen. Consider learning Hands-Only CPR so you can act quickly if someone collapses. The AHA routinely emphasizes CPR education as a high-impact action people can take.
American Heart Month 2026 Moment: Wear Red
National Wear Red Day is Friday, February 6, 2026.
Wearing red is a simple, visible way to support awareness, especially around women’s heart health.
Key Takeaways
- Heart disease is still America’s top killer, and the burden remains massive.
- Younger adults are not immune; heart attacks under 40 are increasingly recognized.
- Two “high-impact” nutrition themes right now:
- Fiber up (aim toward ~30g/day)
- Prioritize minimally processed proteins and reduce ultra-processed reliance
- The goal isn’t a perfect February; it’s building habits you can keep year-round.