You can take steps to prevent heart disease. About 47% of Americans have at least one controllable risk factor for heart disease, such as high blood pressure (hypertension), high cholesterol, diabetes, smoking, obesity, and low activity levels. Risk factors for heart disease that are out of your control include family history, ethnicity, sex, and age.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death for people of any sex and all racial and ethnic groups. Untreated heart disease can lead to heart attack, stroke, heart failure, and death. While it tends to be more common in older adults, heart disease can affect anyone at any age. The average age for people who die of coronary heart disease or a heart attack is 65 or older.
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1. Avoid Smoking, Vaping, or Using Tobacco
A smoker’s risk for coronary heart disease is 2 to 4 times that of a nonsmoker’s risk. People who smoke at least one pack of cigarettes a day have twice the risk of heart attack compared to those who have never smoked.
Vaping might be less harmful than smoking, but it is still not safe for your heart and lungs. Nicotine is used in both regular cigarettes and vaping products and is highly addictive.
Nicotine is a toxic substance that raises blood pressure and heart rate, which increases the possibility of a heart attack.
Quitting smoking, vaping, and tobacco products isn’t easy. Talk to a healthcare provider about quitting. Treatments and resources are available.
2. Limit Alcohol
Alcohol can raise your heart disease risk in various ways. This includes:
Raising Blood Pressure
Alcohol can cause your blood pressure to go up temporarily, and the more you drink, the higher it will increase. If you have a history of high blood pressure, you might consider avoiding alcohol entirely or only drinking occasionally.
Increasing Heart Rate
Drinking alcohol can cause your heart rate to increase in speed, and if it goes over 100 beats per minute, you may experience tachycardia. If you have frequent episodes of tachycardia, your risk for heart failure, heart attack, or stroke is higher.
Causing an Irregular Heart Rhythm
If you overdo or overindulge in alcohol, you could have a condition called atrial fibrillation (A-fib), which is an irregular heart rhythm. A-fib can increase your risk for heart failure, heart attack, and stroke.
Promoting Alcoholic Cardiomyopathy
Alcoholic cardiomyopathy is a consequence of long-term alcohol use. It causes the heart’s pumping function to get weak and the heart to become enlarged.
If you are an occasional drinker, it may not increase your heart disease risk, provided you do not have other heart disease risk factors. But you will need to avoid consistently overindulging in alcohol.
3. Get Regular, Daily Exercise
Exercise is an excellent way to prevent heart disease. It can also help you to manage your weight.
The American Heart Association recommends at least 150 minutes of heart-pumping physical activity per week. It also recommends spending less time sitting. If you are unable to participate in more intense exercises, engage in light activity to keep moving.
4. Follow a Heart-Healthy Diet
A heart-healthy diet promotes eating minimally processed foods, including fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and beans. It also involves avoiding ultra-processed foods, sugars, and unhealthy fats.
Examples of heart-healthy foods are:
- Fruits: Most fruits are cardioprotective because they are high in fiber, vitamins, and minerals, as well as antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds like anthocyanins.
- Vegetables: Some types of vegetables, including cruciferous vegetables and leafy greens, are heart-healthy.
- Seafood: Seafood is high in omega-3 fatty acids, which benefit your heart health. Research shows that eating fish can reduce the risk of heart disease and heart disease-related death.
- Legumes: Beans and lentils are loaded with fiber and essential minerals like magnesium and potassium, which means they are good for your heart. Studies show that diets high in legumes are associated with a lower risk for obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease.
- Whole grains: Quinoa, brown rice, and oats are whole grains that are high in fiber and other nutrients linked to improved heart health. Replacing refined grains like white rice, white bread, and pasta with whole grains may help reduce your risk of heart disease.
- Healthy fats: Adding healthy fats like olive oil, nuts, seeds, avocado, and fatty fish (i.e., salmon and mackerel) may help improve your heart health. Olive oil, which is a part of the Mediterranean diet, is especially cardioprotective.
- Spices: Spices like turmeric, ginger, and saffron have powerful anti-inflammatory properties and may reduce your risk for heart disease.
5. Manage Your Weight
Being overweight, especially in the middle part of the body, can increase your risk for heart disease and conditions that add to your heart disease risk (high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and type 2 diabetes).
Even a small amount of weight loss can be helpful. Reducing your weight by 3% to 5% can help lower fats found in the blood called triglycerides. It can also reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes and lower your blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
Obesity is considered a medical disease, and many in the medical community have changed their practices for managing it. That means your healthcare provider has many tools at their disposal to help you lose weight and keep it off.
6. Get Quality Sleep
Getting enough good quality sleep is vital to your heart and brain health. People who do not sleep well have a higher risk for high blood pressure, diabetes, depression, and obesity.
You need at least seven hours of sleep every night. Set a sleep schedule and stick to it. Practice good sleep hygiene, which includes both daytime habits and bedtime routines to make it easier for you to fall asleep at night and stay asleep until morning.
Talk to your healthcare provider if you wake up not feeling rested or if you struggle with daytime fatigue. They will evaluate you to determine the cause of your sleep troubles.
7. Manage Stress
It is unknown how stress contributes to heart disease, but negative mental health is linked to heart disease and stroke. On the other hand, positive mental health is associated with a lower risk for both conditions.
Keep your stress levels down with exercise, meditation, yoga, hobbies, or listening to music. Even simple breathing exercises can help you better respond to stress.
If stress becomes too much, let a healthcare provider know. Ongoing stress can lead to anxiety and depression, so it is important to get treatment.
8. Avoid Infections
Researchers have linked certain infections like pneumonia and gum infections to coronary events, such as heart attack or stroke. If you already have heart problems, getting an infection can make it worse.
To reduce your risk for infections that may affect your heart health, take precautions. For example:
- Brush and floss daily: Gum disease is a risk factor for heart disease, so you should do what you can to reduce your risk. Make sure you also get regular dental checkups.
- Get vaccinated: Get your yearly flu shot. You should also be vaccinated against COVID-19 and pneumonia. Check with your healthcare provider if you need any other vaccines.
- Reduce your risk for infections: Taking simple precautions can help you to avoid getting sick. Washing your hands, not sharing personal items, practicing food safety, wearing a face mask, practicing safe sex, and traveling safely are all ways to help you avoid infectious diseases.
9. Lower Your Blood Pressure
High blood pressure is known as a silent killer because it does not always cause symptoms. Left untreated, it may damage the blood vessels.
Hypertension has no cure. It can lead to heart disease, heart attack, and stroke. Fortunately, there are things you can do to keep your blood pressure at healthy levels.
Check with your healthcare provider where your blood pressure should be based on your age and medical history. In general, you will want to aim for a blood pressure that is at or below 120/80 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg).
To manage your blood pressure:
- Maintain a healthy weight.
- Eat a low-sodium diet.
- Limit your alcohol intake.
- Do not smoke.
- Take blood pressure medication if prescribed by your medical provider.
10. Lower Your Bad Cholesterol (LDL)
There are two main types of cholesterol: low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (“bad cholesterol”) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (“good cholesterol”). LDL can lead to artery-clogging plaque, while HDL works to clear bad cholesterol from the blood.
Studies have consistently found that lowering your LDL cholesterol can reduce your risk for heart disease, heart attacks, and stroke. It may also reduce the need for cardiac catheterization or bypass surgery.
Lifestyle modifications, such as a heart-healthy diet, quitting smoking, regular exercise, and weight loss, can lower LDL cholesterol. If your healthcare provider prescribes cholesterol-lowering medications, make sure you are taking them as prescribed.
11. Raise Your Good Cholesterol
HDL cholesterol is known as good cholesterol because it works to pick up excess cholesterol in the blood. It then takes it to the liver, where it is broken down and removed from the body.
You can boost your HDL levels by:
- Consuming foods high in omega-3 fatty acids, such as fatty fish, flaxseed, beans, and walnuts
- Taking fish oil supplements
- Following a Mediterranean diet
- Avoiding trans fats, such as found in frozen pizza, margarine and spreads, and baked goods
- Reducing sugar intake
- Engaging in physical activity
- Not smoking
12. Manage Diabetes
People with diabetes have an increased risk for heart disease. This is because diabetes increases your risk for other heart disease risk factors—high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and high triglycerides. High blood sugar also damages blood vessels.
Talk to your healthcare provider about ideal blood sugar and hemoglobin A1c numbers. They may suggest exercise, medications, and a diabetes nutrition plan to help you meet your goals.
13. Take Any Medications as Prescribed
If your medical provider prescribes medications to treat diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or another risk factor condition, make sure you take them. You will also need to follow any guidance they provide on how to take the medications.
14. Have Regular Health Screening Tests
Keeping up with appointments allows your healthcare provider to catch signs of heart disease early. Regular screenings for blood pressure, cholesterol, and type 2 diabetes can tell them whether you need to take any action.
As with any health condition, early diagnosis increases your chances for success and reduces your risk for complications.
Your provider can monitor your heart health with some simple tests. These include:
- A weight and body mass index (BMI) assessment
- Blood pressure measurements
- Blood tests for cholesterol and blood sugar
- Asking questions about your diet, activity levels, and smoking history
- Asking about personal and family medical history
- Asking about health changes or current symptoms
If your provider suspects a heart condition, they will request additional testing that checks the heart.
Tests that check the heart include:
Discuss your heart disease risk factors with your healthcare provider. They can help you develop a plan to improve your health outcomes.
Summary
Risk factors for heart disease include things like smoking and an unhealthy diet, which are preventable. They also include risk factors like age, sex, and family history, which are out of your control.
Making lifestyle changes can reduce your risk for heart disease. These changes include eating a heart-healthy diet, being active, maintaining a healthy weight, quitting smoking, and managing blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and diabetes.
Discuss your individual risk factors with a healthcare provider. They can advise you on the best ways to reduce your risk of heart disease.
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