COLLEGE TOWN, FL — Researchers at Florida State University are working to better understand how to prevent heart disease, which is responsible for about 21% of all deaths in Florida.
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Inside FSU's Cardiovascular and Applied Physiology Lab, students are studying ways to keep the heart healthy. They monitor blood flow, test how the body responds to exercise, and study how the heart regulates blood pressure.
Professor Joseph Watso, an assistant professor of exercise physiology at FSU, says the research is focused on early intervention and identifying risk factors like hypertension.
"One example of something that we do is a training intervention that requires just five minutes per day, and that's specific to breathing muscles. So it's essentially exercise for your breathing muscles, and that actually has a lot of benefits for the cardiovascular system," Watso said.
For some of their tests, students use a small breathing device that creates resistance when inhaling, forcing the diaphragm to work harder. Watso says even without the device, simply breathing slowly through your nose with your lips sealed can help lower blood pressure in the short term.
According to USAFacts, heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S. CDC and U.S. Census data show that, in Leon County, roughly 1 in every 20 adults is currently living with heart disease.
That includes Charron Addison, a neighbor who says she prioritizes exercise and diet to keep her heart healthy.
"I'm loving the research that's coming to Tallahassee, being that I have a heart condition. I love the point that I don't have to travel out of the county or out-of-state," Addison said.
Watso says work happening inside the lab today could help shape how heart health is protected tomorrow.
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