Heart Disease Prevention: What You Can Do

Provided by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

In principle, everyone can take steps to lower their risk for heart disease and heart attack. Here’s a basic plan to follow when getting heart-healthy:

Prevent and Control High Blood Cholesterol
High blood cholesterol is a major risk factor for heart disease. Preventing and treating high blood cholesterol includes eating a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol and high in fiber, keeping a healthy weight and getting regular exercise. All adults should have their cholesterol levels checked once every five years.

Prevent and Control High Blood Pressure
Lifestyle choices such as healthy diet, regular physical activity, healthy weight and not smoking will help you to keep normal blood pressure levels. All adults should have their blood pressure checked on a regular basis. Blood pressure is easily checked. If your blood pressure is high, you can work with your doctor to treat it and bring it down to the normal range. A high blood pressure can usually be controlled with lifestyle changes and with medicines when needed.

Prevent and Control Diabetes
People with diabetes have an increased risk of heart disease but can reduce their risk. Also, people can take steps to reduce their risk for diabetes in the first place, through weight loss and regular physical activity.

No Tobacco
Smoking increases the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke. Never smoking is one of the best things a person can do to lower their risk. And quitting smoking will also help lower a person’s risk of heart disease. A person's risk of heart attack decreases soon after quitting. If you smoke, your doctor can suggest programs to help you quit.

Moderate Alcohol Use
Excessive alcohol use increases the risk of high blood pressure, heart attack and stroke. People who drink should do so only in moderation and always responsibly.

Maintain a Healthy Weight
Healthy weight status in adults is usually assessed by using weight and height to compute a number called the "body mass index" (BMI). BMI usually indicates the amount of body fat. An adult who has a BMI of 30 or higher is considered obese. Overweight is a BMI between 25 and 29.9. Normal weight is a BMI of 18 to 24.9. Proper diet and regular physical activity can help to maintain a healthy weight.

Regular Physical Activity
Adults should engage in moderate level physical activities for at least 30 minutes on most days of the week.

Diet and Nutrition
Along with healthy weight and regular physical activity, an overall healthy diet can help to lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels and prevent obesity, diabetes, heart disease and stroke. This includes eating lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, lowering or cutting out added salt or sodium, and eating less saturated fat and cholesterol to lower these risks.
For more information, visit Keys to a Heart-Healthy Life.

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