The nation's number one health concern, heart disease, is
largely on the decline among Americans, according to the latest
figures from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC). Overall, the CDC data shows approximately 6 percent of
adults in the U.S. had heart disease in 2010—a slight dip from
the 6.7 percent in 2006. The rate of coronary problems among
adult women was 4.6 percent—significantly less that the 7.8
percent rate among men in 2010. Researchers believe better
medical and drug treatments for high blood pressure and high
cholesterol, as well as declines in smoking trends may be
factors in the drop in heart disease among Americans. Still, not
all the news from the latest CDC data is heartwarming. Although
white and Hispanic Americans show drops—from 6.4 to 5.8 percent
and 6.9 to 6.1 percent, respectively—in heart disease rates from
2006 to 2010, rates among other ethnicities are still high.
Among black adults, the rate of heart disease rose slightly to
6.5 percent while among Native A