How can I reduce my risk of heart disease?

People can lower their risk of developing heart disease by preventing or treating and controlling high blood pressure, preventing or treating and controlling high blood cholesterol, not using tobacco, preventing or controlling diabetes, and maintaining adequate physical activity, weight, and nutrition. People being treated for conditions or risk factors should follow the guidance of their health care providers.


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Regular physical activity works to alter or control risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD). For example, exercise strengthens the heart muscle; exercise increases insulin sensitivity and lowers blood pressure and blood cholesterol levels; exercise appears to reduce the craving for cigarettes, making it much easier to quit; exercise helps us lose weight and keep it off; exercise seems to suppress the appetite and reduce the craving in some for fatty foods; and exercise even reduces stress and the likelihood of depression, which may also contribute to a risk for CVD.

Being active, not smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, exercising regularly, and following a healthy diet can decrease your risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes by up to 87%! So commit today to building these suggestions into your life, and you will reap the benefits:

• Fish intake. Research has shown that fatty fish and fish oil, which are high in the omega 3 fatty acids EPA and DHA, can significantly decrease the risk of dying of a heart attack, especially sudden death heart attacks. Talk to your doctor about your daily recommended intake.
  
  
• Fiber Intake. Fiber, especially soluble fiber found in whole grains like oats and barley, can help lower cholesterol. Read food labels to increase your intake and focus on whole grain foods, a variety of veggies, and high-fiber fruits. Beans are one of the best sources of soluble fiber, and nuts and seeds are also a good source.
  
  
• Fitness. Aim for a minimum of 30 minutes of walking daily. Exercise helps lower your risk of heart disease or stroke even if you aren't overweight. And don’t forget strength training (weights) a couple of times a week.
  
  
• Flavonoids. Fill up on phytochemicals. These are plant chemicals which are excellent anti-oxidants and may lower the risk of heart disease. Top sources of flavonoids include blueberries, bananas, green and black tea, citrus fruits, fresh and dried parsley, and onions.
  
  
• Fun. Depression and anxiety have been associated with an increased risk of heart disease. It is important to build in some relaxation time into your heart healthy lifestyle. If you feel like you have signs of depression, you may want to talk to your doctor about the possibility of medication or counseling.
  
  
• Fats the right way. Good fats such as nuts and seeds, olive oil, canola oil, avocado, and flaxseeds have been shown to decrease risk of heart disease. Try adding small amounts to meals throughout the day. And limit saturated fat. Stay away from trans fats altogether.
  
  
• Add in phytosterols. Phytosterols are plant-based phytochemicals that lower bad cholesterol by interfering with dietary cholesterol absorption in your gut. If your goal is lowering cholesterol, national guidelines recommend 2 grams per day (usually in divided doses).While they exist in small amounts naturally in soybeans, nuts, grains, and oils, it’s hard to get enough from food to make a difference. There are lots of new products containing plant sterols.

Cardiovascular disease is the nation's number one killer. If you want to reduce your chances of heart disease here's what to do:

• Maintain a healthy weight to help your motivation level.
• Manage your blood pressure and cholesterol. Get them checked often. Sometimes your local pharmacy will do this for free or at a low cost.
• Reduce salt intake; don't use it in cooking or add it at the table.
• Exercise.
• Don't smoke. Quit immediately if you do!
• Lower your stress levels, when necessary. Take 10-15 minutes to relax your mind and body by using, for example, deep breathing or yoga exercises, listening to soothing music, taking a hot bath or shower, or rearranging your environment -- take a walk if a situation becomes overly stressful.

To lower your risk of heart disease, exercise on a regular basis and eat a healthy diet low in sodium and saturated and trans fats. Lower stress through stress-management techniques, stop smoking, manage high blood pressure and high total cholesterol, and moderate your alcohol consumption. (This answer provided for NATA by the Southern Connecticut State University Athletic Training Education Program)

Practice these heart healthy behaviors to reduce your risk of developing heart disease:

• Stop smoking. If you smoke, quit. If someone in your household smokes, encourage them to quit.
• Reduce blood cholesterol. Make healthy food choices. Limit fat, sodium, sugar, and caffeine in your diet. If diet and exercise alone don't reduce your cholesterol, medication may help. Take it regularly as prescribed.
• Lower high blood pressure. Reduce your sodium intake and take any medication the doctor recommends exactly as prescribed. The optimal goal is blood pressure less than 120/80 mm Hg.
• Exercise regularly. Research has shown that getting 30 to 60 minutes of physical activity on most days of the week can help lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol and keep your weight at a healthy level. But something IS better than nothing.
• Maintain a healthy weight. A combination of good food choices and regular physical activity is the key to maintaining a healthy weight. Obesity places you at risk for high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and insulin resistance, a precursor of type 2 diabetes -- the very factors that heighten your risk of cardiovascular disease.
• Manage diabetes. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of diabetes-related death. People with diabetes are two to four times more likely to develop cardiovascular disease. If you already have diabetes, manage it appropriately under your physician's care.
• Reduce stress. Medical research indicates a relationship between coronary heart disease risk and stress level that may increase the risk factors for heart disease and stroke. Someone under stress may overeat, start smoking, or smoke more than they otherwise would.
• Limit alcohol. Drinking too much alcohol can raise blood pressure, increasing the risk of heart attack or stroke. The risk of heart disease in people who drink moderate amounts of alcohol (an average of one drink for women or two drinks for men per day) is lower than in nondrinkers. However, it's not recommended that nondrinkers start using alcohol or that drinkers increase the amount they drink.

To reduce your risk of heart disease, do as follows:

• Stay physically active. A regular exercise program significantly reduces the likelihood of developing heart disease and reduces overall mortality. Even among people who have a history of a prior heart attack, the survival rate increases by 80 percent in those who walk every day for 30 minutes.
• Maintain a healthy diet. A heart-healthy diet is high in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fish. Minimize red meat and dairy products, which are high in saturated fat. Most of the fat in your diet should be unsaturated. Omega-3 fatty acids are polyunsaturated fats that appear to be particularly healthy for the heart. Foods high in omega-3 fatty acids include fatty fish (such as salmon), soybeans, walnuts, and flaxseeds. Moderate alcohol consumption can be considered part of a healthful diet because it thins blood, decreases inflammation, and can raise your high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol level. Current research is studying resveratrol, a component of red wine that appears to be a major factor in decreasing inflammation and promoting longevity. Too much alcohol will negate these health benefits by creating other health risks, such as breast cancer in women, testicular atrophy in men, and liver disease in both.
• Develop good stress management skills. Good stress management is quite important in protecting your heart and blood vessels. Stress is associated with higher rates of heart attacks. People who have higher amounts of anger and hostility are 7-10 times more likely to die of heart disease. The most important skill when it comes to protecting yourself from the ill effects of stress is to know how well you can put the stressors out of your mind. If you can do so easily, you are in good shape.
• Get a good night's sleep. Sleep is important for repairing all of the body's daily wear and tear, as well as for keeping the stress response off and therefore inflammation down. Also, the risk of a heart attack in someone with sleep apnea is 5-10 times higher than in someone without sleep apnea. Treatment of this disorder is, therefore, critical-be it with weight loss, surgery, or continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), a treatment where a nasal or an oral mask delivers positive pressure to keep the airway open. In some cases, surgery may be indicated.

Information from Vital Signs section of CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report:

More than 800,000 Americans die each year from heart disease, stroke and other blood vessel diseases, and many of those deaths could have been prevented. One key way is by controlling high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

Medication can help in many cases, but people can do a lot by themselves, as the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Thomas Frieden, points out: “You can control your blood pressure and cholesterol by eating healthy—less salt and less fatty foods—and by getting regular physical activity. Physical activity is a wonder drug. Just 20 or 30 minutes a day of walking can make a huge difference.”

Most people who develop heart disease -- at least eight in every 10 -- have at least one major risk factor that's within their power to change, such as lack of exercise, high blood pressure, or abnormal cholesterol levels. Surefire ways to lessen your risk of heart disease include maintaining a healthy weight, getting regular exercise, and making sure you eat plenty of colorful fruits, vegetables, and fiber-rich whole-grain foods.