Eat Your Heart Out

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When you step back, though, and take a look at the overall picture--a long view from the upper slopes of the mountain--it turns out in hindsight that the path was clear. So it is with medical science. From the perspective of 1999, the past 40 years' worth of research points to a consistent theme: eat a balanced diet that includes lots of fruits and vegetables and fewer animal-based foods; don't smoke; and get as much exercise as you can comfortably maintain.

If it sounds as though nothing much has changed in the past three decades, that's because the basics of cardiac health--the base of the mountain--have been there all along. What has changed is doctors' understanding of why it's all true. And they're continuing to refine their knowledge so that the confusing new research emerging from the labs will one day stand on an equally firm footing. Until that happens, the best bet is to focus on those basics. Your heart will thank you for it.