If We Could Live Forever

Yesterday, I had the privilege to have dinner with former president Bill Clinton. Suprisingly, it got me thinking about health simply because Clinton is the type of guy you want to see live forever. I remember hearing about when he had heart bypass surgery, so I started talking with his personal doctor last night (Of course, he is a Gator like his chief of staff and several others). So how can people like Clinton - and people like you - live as long as possible? Here are some good pointers for heart health.

First, you have to make the simple and subtle changes, and that is what Clinton did. When you travel as much as he does and give speeches all the time, you have to be full of energy - healthy energy that is. So Clinton changed up the dressing room. He started drinking tea instead of coffee for his caffeine jolt. Not only is it an antioxidant boost, a study in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports confirmed that ingesting caffeine improves athletic performance, but tea is a better delivery system than coffee.

At Fleming's Steakhouse, Clinton chowed down on salmon and a spinach salad. Salmon is a great source of protein and very heart-healthy packed with omega-3 fatty acids. Check out WebMD's 5 Heart Healthy Foods here.

As we know it's not always about food. According to the Journal of American Medical Association, people increase their heart disease risk by 56 percent with low cardio-respiratory fitness. Clinton enjoys playing tennis against his chief of staff for his cardio work out.

However if all else fails, you may find yourself in a position that Clinton was not as fortunate to be in. A replacement valve that can be implanted through thin tubes rather than traditional open-heart surgery may soon be the future of heart surgery in the United States. No more chest opening surgery in a market for these catheters that could exceed $1.5 billion. Check out more of this Race in Cardiology here.