In 1998, three scientists were awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine for their discoveries concerning heart disease. Their research has raised a lot of attention for the use of the amino acid L-Arginine, which changes into Nitric Oxide (a powerful neurotransmitter inside the body that signals blood vessels to relax and improve circulations).
- Cardiovascular disease is the number-one killer of both men and women, and is responsible for more deaths than the next nine causes combined.
- One stroke-related death occurs every three minutes.
- Half a million women a year are taken by heart disease, more than any other medical cause, including breast cancer.
- African Americans are twice as likely to suffer a heart attack or stroke.
- The biggest risk factors for coronary artery disease (CAD) include obesity, high blood pressure or cholesterol, diabetes, tobacco use, and a family history of heart disease.
- Fourteen million Americans are currently living with CAD, and one in four are now at risk for developing the disease.
- Approximately 58 million Americans have hypertension, a leading cause of death and disability in the United States.