The 5 SCARIEST Health Facts for Americans

Halloween weekend is almost upon us, and with it comes heaps of sugary temptations, an abundance of spooky activities, and some very creative costumes:

In the spirit of Halloween, and because today is #WorldStrokeDay, Pulsara wanted to share some of the SCARIEST, spookiest, creepiest, and most horrific health facts. We hope you will be safe out there this weekend, and that you will always make choices that reduce your chance of heart attack and stroke!

1. Exercise (or lack thereof)

According to the Mayo Clinic, adults need at least 30 minutes of physical activity (other than day-to-day tasks like moving around the office) per day. Yet the average American gets only about half that much. Seeing as exercise has been shown to reduce your risk of heart disease, stroke, some cancers, depression, and much more, this is a statistic that is startling at best. 

2. Fast Food Addiction

Americans today spend roughly $110 billion every year on fast food (up from $3 billion in 1972) and 1 in 4 Americans eats fast food at least once EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. Couple that with the fact that the average American drinks 44 gallons of soda annually, and it's no wonder obesity is such an epidemic in the U.S.!

3. Speaking of Obesity...

Did you know that just since 1980, the rate of obesity in the U.S. has TRIPLED? And, according to the NIH, 2 in 3 Americans are now considered overweight or obese. Since 1 in 5 deaths are linked to obesity today, serious changes are needed to avoid a grim outlook for our nation. 

4. Heart Disease 

About 600,000 Americans die from heart disease each year, making it the leading cause of death for both men and women. Check out this decade-by-decade guide from the AHA to learn how you can avoid being part of this terrifying statistic. 

5. Stroke 

Today stroke is the fifth leading cause of death in the United States, and on average, one American suffers from a stroke every 40 seconds. Risk factors like age, sex and race are beyond your control, but there are many other contributing factors you can monitor including diet, maintaining an active lifestyle, not smoking, and lowering your cholesterol and blood pressure.