Coinciding with the celebration of World Heart Day, Dr. David García-Dorado, Head of the Cardiology Service of University Hospital Vall d'Hebron and head of the research group for Cardiovascular Diseases at Vall d'Hebron Research Institute (VHIR), gives us advise for a good cardiovascular health and highlights the importance of research to advance the treatment of these diseases. "Having a good cardiovascular health is very important because cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death and loss of years with quality of life in our country, and the entire world population. The cardiovascular disease that causes most death and disability is the ischemic heart disease or coronary arteries, which supply the heart, disease, and its most important manifestation is myocardial infarction. Ischemic heart disease is due to genetic and environmental causes. Of the latter we do not know them all, but we do know some important ones and its control produces a significant decrease in the risk of developing the disease.The first thing to avoid is to produce a direct cardiovascular damage with tobacco. Not smoking is not enough, we must try to prevent others from smoke, especially young people, supporting and promoting actions to this end.Next thing is to avoid staying too long sitting, and try to walk a lot and do some exercise. Sport is not necessary, nor adds much to the reduction in cardiovascular risk, although it may produce other satisfactions and benefits.The third is not to gain weight. To lose weight when you are obese is much harder than to walk more and eat less when we notice we are starting to gain weight. And we should apply this to children and young people who depend on us and to whom we can influence. The food quality, not just quantity, is important. Here we find medical advice too earnest and too changeable, with foods that go from being dangerous to be recommended too often, so it is important not to make complicated things and follow some essential rules that are based on solid evidence: avoid prepared or precooked foods (which involves cooking as it has always been done) and drinks with fructose, eat everything, but especially vegetables (legumes, vegetables) and less animal protein (particularly red meat), and eat with olive oil and little salt. And what about wine?: when taken in small amounts, it is not bad for cardiovascular risk, and can be good.Fourth, we must ensure that we have normal blood pressure and that we follow the antihypertensive treatment we are prescribed if we have high blood pressure, and follow the advice of our doctor if we have too high cholesterol levels, or especially diabetes.Finally, as conscious and informed citizens, we must defend policies that protect our cardiovascular health, even if they require some change. Pollution by combustion engines, mainly road traffic, but also large industries, boats etc., is a more important factor of coronary risk and with a higher level of evidence than many others of which we hear more about.Despite all these measures, genetic factors and others we don't know will continue to cause cardiac and cardiovascular diseases in the foreseeable future, consequently research in the diagnosis and treatment of these diseases is essential. One of the most important risk factors is age, and more and more people reach older ages. We need to know the cellular and molecular mechanisms that cause them, identify new and more precise risk markers, and new diagnostic and therapeutic methods to detect and treat early, in the least invasive and safest way possible these diseases. The aim is to reduce the enormous impact of cardiovascular disease in humanity". Dr. David Garcia-Dorado