Reduce Your Risk of Heart Disease

The centers for Disease Control have some hard, cold facts for us.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women in the US.  Someone will die from cardiovascular disease every 34 seconds.  For the year 2023, there were 919,032 deaths caused by cardiovascular disease. That's the equivalent of 1 in every 3 deaths.

Add up health care services, medicines, and lost productivity due to death and heart disease cost us about $417.9 billion for the last year studied.

While you can’t change some risk factors for heart disease, such as family history, sex at birth or age, you can take steps to lower your overall risks. The Mayo Clinic staff have come up with eight simple strategies to prevent heart disease.

One of the simplest and best things you can do for your heart is to stop smoking or using smokeless tobacco. The chemicals found in tobacco can damage the heart and blood vessels.  Cigarette smoke raises your blood pressure and heart rate forcing your heart to work harder.

The risk of heart disease starts to drop in as little as a day after quitting.

Note to non-smokers, stay away from secondhand smoke, it has the same effect on you!  

Regular physical activity can lower the risk of heart disease. It helps control your weight and reduces the chances of getting other conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and type 2 diabetes that may put a strain on the heart.

Start slowly, but get started. Set a goal for the recommended 150 minutes a week of moderate aerobic exercise, 75 minutes a week of vigorous aerobic activity and two or more strength training sessions a week.

If you’re not there yet, don't give up. Even five minutes of moving can help. You don't have to exercise hard to see benefits.

A healthy diet can improve blood pressure and cholesterol, and lower the risk of type 2 diabetes.

Eat your fruits and vegetables, beans and whole grains.  Choose lean meats and fish and low-fat or fat-free dairy foods. Check out the Mediterranean diet at Prevention for ideas.

What to cut down or out? Sodium, sugar, highly processed foods, saturated fat, which is found in red meat, full-fat dairy products, palm oil and coconut oil and trans fat in some fried fast food, chips and baked goods.

Being overweight raises the risk of heart disease. Extra weight - especially around the middle of the body - can lead to conditions including high blood pressure, high cholesterol and type 2 diabetes which can lead to heart disease.

Check your BMI.  A body mass index of 25 or higher is generally considered overweight and it's linked with higher cholesterol, higher blood pressure, and an increased risk of heart disease and stroke. Get a high number but you’re in great shape? Remember, this measurement assumes it’s checking fat, not muscle! It’s also not to be used to determine if a child or teen is overweight.  

Pull out a tape measure, your risk of heart disease is higher if your waist measurement is greater than 40 inches for men and 35 inches for women.

Losing just a few pounds can help lower certain fats in the blood and lower blood sugar. Losing more helps lower blood pressure and blood cholesterol levels.

Most adults require seven or more hours of sleep each night.  People who don't get enough sleep have a higher risk of obesity, high blood pressure, heart attack, diabetes and depression.

Stress can play a role in higher blood pressure and other risk factors for heart disease. You can boost your health through physical activity, relaxation exercises, mindfulness, yoga and meditation, all are great stress relievers.

As the American Heart Association advises us, know your numbers.  High blood pressure and high cholesterol can damage the heart and blood vessels. Regular blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar screenings can alert you to take action before you see symptoms of diabetes and heart disease.  Your health care provider can tell you when and how often you should be checked and the American Heart Association has its recommendations. 

Finally, did you know that your brushing and flossing habits can help prevent heart disease?  Certain infections, including gum disease, can lead to heart and blood vessel diseases.

Infections can also worsen existing heart problems. Stay up to date on your flu, COVID and pneumococcal shots and ask your doctor if you need any other vaccines to prevent infection.

You can’t change your genes, but you can change your habits.

Simple steps can help reduce your risks of heart disease and you can start these today!