Eat dark chocolate, watch funny movies, avoid stressful jobs, and pedal hard when biking are all ingredients in the recipe for a healthy heart, according to experts meeting in Paris this week.
Whether one is afflicted by a heart attack, high blood pressure or constricted arteries depends in large measure on a host of lifestyle choices.
But the ideal formula for avoiding heart problems remains elusive: it is hard to tease apart the factors that impact cardiovascular health, and the right mix of things to do -- or not do -- can vary from person to person.
Even commonsense measures such as exercise or a balanced diet must be fine-tuned.
It is not, for example, how long one rides a bike but the intensity of one's effort that matters most, according to research presented Monday at a five-day gathering, ending Wednesday, of the European Society of Cardiology.
