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Food and Health Fact #91
Fact #91: Rising incidence of heart disease in the United States
By Matthew Rees
Food and Health Fact #91: Rising incidence of heart disease in the United States
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U.S. death rates from Covid-19 are in steep decline. But even after the pandemic passes, the country will still be left to fight a condition that killed twice as many people last year as Covid: heart disease. There has been a dramatic decline in death rates from heart disease since 1950, but it remains far and away the leading cause of death in the United States. And last year, the death rate rose by 3 percent – marking only the second year-over-year increase in two decades. A leading cause of heart disease is high levels of LDL cholesterol, which is primarily found in meat and dairy products. Foods lowering LDL cholesterol levels include oats, barley and other whole grains, beans, and fruits.
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