13/11/2025
New Episode is Live! The Heart Attack No One Sees Coming and How to Stop It w/ Dr. Ronney Shantouf Get the full episode here —> https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-heart-attack-no-one-sees-coming-and-how-to-stop-it/id1733710062?i=1000736555837
Many of us know about someone who seemed perfectly healthy, and then one day, without warning, they had a cardiac event. No symptoms on the surface, and no sign their heart was struggling behind the scenes.
We’ve been taught to think of sudden cardiac death as something random and unstoppable: a tragic event with no warning and no chance of prevention. But the truth is: up to 63% of sudden cardiac deaths could be avoided with simple, consistent lifestyle choices. Not pills or high-tech devices, just the way we live every day.
That’s the message buried inside the latest data that most people, including doctors, aren’t talking about. Better cardiorespiratory fitness can outweigh the risk posed by obesity. A handful of nuts and a walk might protect you more than a statin ever could. Even your attitude, your sense of connection, your stress response, and your sleep can shift the odds in your favor.
Yet most people still believe sudden cardiac events are just “bad luck” or genetics. They don’t realize how much control they actually have. And when lifestyle is this powerful, the real question isn’t “What’s my risk?” It’s “What can I do today to lower it?”
In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Ronney Shantouf, a preventive cardiologist who bridges both sides of medicine: procedures that save lives in the moment, and lifestyle changes that prevent the crisis from ever happening.
We get into what actually lowers the risk of sudden cardiac death, and what most people get wrong about it.
Things You’ll Learn In This Episode
Lifestyle can beat the odds
Up to 40–63% of sudden cardiac deaths are preventable through behavior, not medication. So if genetics isn’t destiny, what daily choices create the biggest impact?
Not all exercise is equal
Consistent, moderate activity dramatically lowers SCD risk. But sudden bursts of vigorous exercise? They can temporarily increase it. How do you train smarter, not just harder?
Food isn’t fuel, it’s a signal
Whether you're low-carb, plant-forward, or Mediterranean, one pattern wins: real, minimally processed food. What are the dietary patterns that protect your heart, and the ones that quietly push risk higher?
Stress and sleep don’t just affect heart health; they can trigger it
Emotional stress can provoke dangerous spasms and arrhythmias. Poor sleep creates inflammatory conditions the heart can’t hide from. How can we stop treating stress and sleep as “soft” lifestyle advice and see them as medical priorities?
