Heart Health: Reduce Your Risk for Heart Disease

Heart disease is a leading cause of death in the US for men and women. Understanding your personal level of risk, making healthy choices to reduce your chances of getting heart disease, especially coronary heart disease (the most common type), and knowing what types of heart disease cause heart attacks, can help you take appropriate preventative measures.

The first step toward heart health is understanding your risk of heart disease. Your risk depends on many factors. Your risk of heart disease is higher if you have high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, are overweight, have prediabetes or diabetes, smoke, do not regularly engage in physical activity, have a family history of early heart disease, have unhealthy eating behaviors, or are older. The more of these risk factors you have, the higher your overall risk.

While some of these risk factors cannot be changed, such as family history of heart disease, other risk factors, such as physical activity and healthy eating habits, can be modified gradually to improve your heart health. Going to annual check-ups and talking to your doctor about conducting a risk assessment Is a crucial step in helping you set and reach goals for heart health.

Taking steps towards heart-healthy living doesn’t need to happen all at once; rather, making smaller changes over time can make a more lasting impact on reducing your risk of heart disease. Dietary changes are especially important. Gradually create a balanced diet by increasing your intake of foods such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains, low-fat dairy, lean meats, fish, eggs, nuts and seeds, avocados, and tofu. Consumption of unhealthy fats, added sugars, sodium, and alcohol should be limited. Food to avoid include saturated fats from butter, cheese, and fatty meats; trans fats from desserts, frozen pizza, margarines, and coffee creamers; added sugars such as corn syrup, dextrose, fructose, glucose, high-fructose corn syrup, and sucrose. A healthy diet will improve your heart health while helping maintain a healthy body weight.

Other ways to protect your heart include regular physical activity that increases your heart rate; reducing stress through meditation, talking to a professional, or relaxation techniques; quitting smoking; and getting good quality sleep for seven to nine hours a night (for adults 18 years or older).