heartI've always had a soft place in my heart for those "best place to live," "most unhealthy," "worst air quality" reports that publications roll out on a surprisingly regular basis. Although these lists can make you feel left out if your own city doesn't rank favorably, they also can provide a wonderfully smug sense of satisfaction when your place of abode gets a nice gold star -- or even if it just doesn't rank poorly.

Prevention's list of the 8 Most Artery-Clogging Cities in America, in which the magazine has ranked the U.S. major metropolitan areas with the highest rates of heart disease and obesity, based on CDC research, will undoubtedly please those of us who live in cities that weren't included. On the other hand, those of us who live in cities that made the list will probably feel pretty ... rankled. (Don't get too worked up about it, though, guys. The stress isn't good for your hearts.)

The eight cities that made the list may have done so "because they seem to promote sedentary lifestyles and diets heavy on fast food but light on fresh produce," the magazine's editors assert, adding that we might all want to avoid these cities like the plague -- or at least deal with them very gingerly. "Because studies show that unhealthy habits are contagious, anybody moving to or spending time in these places should be extra careful to take care of their tickers," Prevention notes. Ouch!

In any event, if you don't live in the following cities, you can start feeling smug now:

The 8 Most Artery-Clogging Cities in America
 • Detroit, MI
 • Fort Wayne, IN
 • Lubbock, TX
 • New Orleans, LA
 • Dallas, TX
 • Baton Rouge, LA
 • Tulsa, OK
 • Louisville, KY

And if you do? Well, throw away that deep-fried beignet, get out of your American-made car, and start eating your veggies and exercising. For your heart's sake, it's time to start forming some healthier habits ... pronto!

Do you love lists like this, or find them infuriating?

 

Image via oedipusphinx — — — — theJWDban/Flickr