The Baby Boomer Heart:
The Riskiest Generation

   

Experts say the Baby Boomer generation may be the most vulnerable to heart disease ever.

From an article by Colette Bouchez WebMD and reviewed by Michael Smith MD-- Published August 30, 2005. 

Baby boomers were the first generation to grow up with affluence. But the price for abundance may be heart disease.

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The Riskiest Generation :

Keeping the Pressure Off 

Rising Cholesterol 

Healing Fitness 

Weight and Waistlines

When you flip on the TV, do you fondly remember Lassie and Timmy, Ozzie and Harriet, Dale and Roy? Do tie-dye shirts and bell bottoms bring a smile to your face?

  

If these memories hold a warm place in your heart, then you're a Baby Boomer - one of nearly 76 million born between the years 1946 and 1964.

And, as hard as it is to believe, the generation that coined the phrase "Never trust anyone over 30" is now rapidly approaching 50 - or even 60! Indeed, experts estimate that every seven seconds another boomer hits the "big 5-0."

While many of us may still feel like an invincible rock 'n' roll teen at heart, the truth is we are fast becoming the older generation -- and in the process sharing more than just memories of transistor radios and the Beatles. We also share a risk of heart disease and related conditions, including high cholesterol, diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity.

 

In fact, experts say our generation may be the most vulnerable ever. We are the first American generation to grow up with plenty - plenty of food, plenty of cars, plenty of leisure time. As a result, we're also heavier at an earlier age than our parents' generation, and we're developing heart problems younger.

The good news? We CAN change the world after all -- or at least our personal world. Use this guide to reduce your risks.

The payoff?

A longer and healthier life

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SOURCES:
*** U.S. Census Bureau.
*** Harlen Krumholtz MD, cardiologist, professor, cardiology and public health, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Ct., author, The Expert Guide To Beating Heart Disease.
*** Stephen Siegel MD, cardiologist, clinical assistant professor, NYU School of Medicine, New York