Introduction

Cardiovascular disease (CVD), also known as a heart disease, is a major cause of morbidity and mortality not only in the United States (Sharathkumer, Soucie, Trawinski, Greist, & Shapiro, 2011), but also in other advanced countries throughout the world (Perk, De Backer, Gohlke, Graham, Reiner, Verschuren & Zannod, 2012). Recent statistics from the American Heart Association demonstrate that an estimated 83.6 million of American adults have one or more types of CVD; of these, about 42.2 million are estimated to be in the ageing population of 60 years and older (American Heart Association, 2013). In addition to the foregoing statistics, there is compelling evidence indicating that cardiovascular-related deaths in the US are more common among men. However, CVD affects nearly as many women as men, albeit at an older age (Greenlund, Keenan, Clayton, Pandey & Hong, 2012). While the increased risk of CVD from modifiable risk factors such as tobacco use, hypertension, diabetes mellitus and hypercholesterolemia is well documented in the literature, the same cannot be said of non-established behavioral and lifestyle risk factors. Such include poor nutrition, obesity, physical inactivity and sedentary behavior (Barnes, 2013; Perk et al., 2012). This paper argues that although the impact of the outside factors is relatively strong, the inside factors have a strong influence on the development of CVD. The foregoing arguably means that raising awareness and encouraging people to adhere to good nutrition rules will help fight CVD efficiently.