Seth Martin, M.D., MHS, on the Fight Against Heart Disease
Heart disease is still the top cause of death — but with proven tools in hand, we all have the power to change that.
By
Lana Pine
| Published on June 11, 2025
2 min read
In a recent interview, Seth Martin, M.D., MHS, a professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins and co-founder of Corrie Health, discusses the significance of the 2024 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics report from the American Heart Association (AHA). This comprehensive document — spanning over 600 pages — is designed for a wide range of readers, including patients, families, clinicians and public health leaders.
The report offers a clear picture of where we stand with heart disease and stroke in the U.S. and around the world. One of the most striking findings is that cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death globally, a position it has held for more than a century.
Despite significant medical advances, Martin stresses that more needs to be done to bring these numbers down. The encouraging news, he says, is that we already know the major risk factors — such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, obesity and diabetes — and we now have highly effective treatments and preventive strategies available.
One key framework Martin recommends is the AHA’s Life’s Essential 8, which outlines the foundational habits for heart health: healthy eating, physical activity, avoiding nicotine, healthy sleep, maintaining a healthy weight, managing blood pressure and cholesterol, and controlling blood sugar.
For people already diagnosed with cardiovascular disease, Martin points to a growing list of advanced treatments that can significantly reduce risk. These include newer cholesterol-lowering medications, blood pressure therapies and GLP-1 receptor agonists, which help with both diabetes management and weight control.
But access alone isn’t enough — patients must also engage with trusted health care teams to get on the right treatments and stick with them.
Ultimately, Martin emphasizes that tackling heart disease requires more than just individual action — it’s about working together as families, communities and a society. The data give us a sobering snapshot of where we are but also offer a road map for where we can go if we act now.
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