American Heart Association predicts Americans to be even less healthy by 2050. Here's why.

The American Heart Association's latest projections tell us one very clear thing: We are not headed in a good direction.

Looking at two national health surveys, the association estimated that by 2050, a little more from 25 years from now, U.S. adults can expect:

• High blood pressure in adults to increase from 51.2% in 2020 to 61% in 2050.

• Coronary disease from 7.8% to 9.2%.

• Heart failure from 2.7% to 3.8%.

• Stroke from 3.9% to 6.4%.

• Atrial fibrillation from 1.7% to 2.4%.

• Diabetes from 16.3% to 26.8%.

• Obesity from 43.1% to 60.6%.

• Improvement in high cholesterol, decreasing from 45.8% to 24%.

• People who are multiracial, Black, Hispanic or American Indian are expected to have worse rates.

The American Heart Association is asking for new public health interventions and more interventions at doctor's visits.

"We have good drugs, and we are good at treating things once they happen," said Dr. John Moscona, an interventional cardiologist at the Heart Hospital of Austin and Austin Heart.

What these projections tell us, "more than anything, is the lack of ability to prevent or stem the tide of what's coming," he said. "This really is an issue of prevention or a lack thereof."

Read more: Texas kids in top 10 for childhood obesity: How to make small changes that work

What can we do to prevent heart disease?

Focus on food. It's not just eating healthful foods but avoiding ultraprocessed foods, Moscona said.

"The problem is we're getting too much of the things that are not good for us," he said. "We've eaten this stuff since we are children, teenagers and adults. By the time someone is in their 50s, the wheels were in motion for a very long time.”

While the prevention side of cardiology focuses on adults, Moscona said, to see the full effect of dietary changes "it has to start in the pediatric level."

He recommends the Mediterranean diet, with fresh fruits and vegetables, fish and plant-based proteins, less red meat, and olive oil instead of butter.

Read more: Put down the coconut oil, red wine in new heart health dietary guidelines

Increase activity. "We can start at any time," Moscona said. Start by getting a walk in every day. Think about everyday activities such as gardening and house cleaning. "It doesn't have to be strenuous exercise," he said. Just keep moving.

Get seven to eight hours of sleep a night. "We overall don't understand all the benefits of sleep," Moscona said, but sleep is a time when the body naturally repairs cells and the cells regenerate. This helps reduce inflammation, which is bad for the heart, which is a muscle.

Watch the stress levels and mental health. We resort to old, unhealthy habits when we don't feel good mentally.

When we do make healthy changes, Moscona said, "most people really feel a lot healthier."

Learn more: What do new children's obesity guidelines mean for Austin families?

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: American Heart Association predicts worsening health in U.S. by 2050