Dr. Eddie Hackler III represents a new generation of medical professionals working to bridge the gap between healthcare and the Black community. As a practicing cardiologist in Atlanta and a vocal advocate for health equity, Dr. Hackler brings both expertise and empathy to his mission of addressing cardiovascular health disparities. A Cleveland native who trained at prestigious institutions including Meharry Medical College and Case Western Reserve University, his journey from inspired medical student to influential cardiologist has been shaped by a deep commitment to community service and health education.
In this candid conversation with Rolling Out Health IQ, Dr. Hackler shares crucial insights about cardiovascular health in the Black community, drawing from his extensive experience as both a clinician and health advocate. His approach combines clinical expertise with cultural understanding, making complex medical information accessible while addressing the unique challenges facing Black Americans in healthcare.
[Editor’s note: This is a truncated transcription of a longer video interview. Please see the video for the extended version. Some errors may occur.]
What are the key challenges regarding cardiovascular care in the Black community?
Heart disease is the leading cause of death for all racial groups and ethnic groups in the United States. But the Black community specifically faces unique challenges and disparities related to heart disease. Initially, my first thought is, okay, well, how do we tackle racial disparities? And then if I want to take a step further or even a step backward, it’s okay. Well, what are the racial disparities? And then some people even ask, okay, well, we know what racial disparities are, but how are they formed within the Black community when it comes to heart disease?
What immediate steps can people take to assess their heart health?
I think the most obvious thing is to see a physician. One thing that kind of puts the Black community at a disadvantage is that we have a lot of mistrust within the medical community, which is definitely rightfully deserved. But at the same time, it’s also a hindrance if we decide to just kick this can down the road until we end up in the ER. So, I think the first thing is to see a general physician. You don’t even have to see a cardiologist first, but a general physician that can do just normal basic testing that can pick up disease early.
What’s the biggest misconception about heart health?
The biggest myth that I love to share is that heart disease is not just from your family. Heart disease is actually 80% preventable. Twenty percent of it comes from our genetics, but 80% of it is the thing that we choose to do. Our diet, whether we’re exercising or not, our bad habits, are we smoking? Are we drinking? Are we doing illicit drugs? All those things play a role in the cardiovascular health in general.
What are the statistics regarding heart attacks in the Black community?
Black men and Black women typically have at least two times as much heart attacks as other individuals and other races. A lot of that comes from, specifically in women, detection later because a lot of women have atypical symptoms or not being taken seriously. Or sometimes we may just wait to go to see a physician. But in general, when you think about heart disease, whatever you think about for Black people, two times as higher as other races.
What foods should people avoid to maintain heart health?
What we care about in the cardiovascular space is your bad cholesterol. So, look at your cholesterol numbers, you’ll see a panel of different numbers. But specifically, your LDL, that is your bad cholesterol. And we want that number as low as possible. The things that can raise that are things that are high in trans-saturated fats. So fried foods, greasy foods, red meats, pork, things of that nature can increase our cholesterol in a way that can then deposit into our heart, leading to heart disease.
What should fitness enthusiasts know about supplements, peptides, and steroids regarding heart health?
I would say get labs regularly, especially if you’re taking any type of supplement. A lot of these supplements can, one, raise your glucose levels, which then can lead to diabetes, which is a risk factor for heart disease. A lot of these different creatines can raise your creatinine or mess up your kidney function, which, you know, kidney function, heart disease, they go hand in hand.
So, I think it’s very important if you’re taking any supplements to definitely get lab work frequently. And if you are taking anything like a steroid, it needs to be coming from a physician. You don’t need to be getting steroids from off the street in an effort to try to get bigger and things like that because those can be very dangerous.
What advice would you give parents about protecting their children’s heart health?
We’re seeing a lot more childhood obesity. And that is direct. Obesity is directly going to heart disease. So, it starts when you’re an adolescent. The habits that you help your child form right now while they’re younger are going to be the habits that carry them on when they’re no longer in your household. So, it’s really important that you start healthy habits now, healthy food habits, healthy physical habits. We live in a very technologically developed time where a lot of kids aren’t playing outside anymore.
They’re on their tablets or on a game or doing something where they’re not as active as kids may have been in the past. So, making that a priority and limiting things for your children in certain ways, I think overall will help their health in the long run.
Is it true that 30 minutes a day will keep cardiovascular problems away?
At least 30 minutes of moderate activity a day, five times a week is what we recommend for exercise. And moderate intensity activity can just be brisk walking.
How true is the saying ‘you are what you eat’?
100%. Everything you put into your body will deposit somewhere. And what you don’t want is to deposit it into your heart arteries and clog them up.
What advice do you have for elderly care and retirement?
The patients who are elderly, 80, 90 plus who are living a great quality of life, they started when they’re 30, 40, exercising regularly, watching their diet. They weren’t waiting until some bad health scare occurred before they kind of took hold of their health. If you are a caretaker for an elderly family member, make sure you’re taking them to their appointments, making sure they’re understanding their appointments.
A lot of times patients can go to the doctor, but if they don’t retain what is going on or they don’t understand it, then they can’t necessarily get that help.
What inspired you to become a cardiologist?
I’ve always wanted to be a doctor since I was younger. My younger brother had asthma growing up. As an older brother, it’s my responsibility to take care of him. However, whenever he was having an asthma attack, it was really nothing that I knew what to do. I saw how doctors took care of him, and that instilled in me the desire to want to provide that same type of service.
When I was Mr. Meharry, I did a men’s outreach program where we went to different barber shops and we talked to black men about their health. I learned so much from that experience alone. One thing that I saw a huge burden of was hypertension. It was from there that stemmed my desire to look further into cardiovascular medicine. I want to do the most good for the most people. That’s when I decided to become a cardiologist.
