How to reduce your risk of heart disease?

Cardiovascular disease is the most common cause of death in the United States according to the Center for disease control and prevention. Common risk factors for cardiovascular disease include: hypertension (high blood pressure), high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity, family history, cigarette smoking, alcohol intake, metabolic syndrome, and physical inactivity.

From that list, there are plenty of risk factors that are deemed, modifiable, which means you can make changes to reduce your risk. For many people quitting smoking, eating healthier, losing weight, or getting more exercise are more difficult than they sound. It takes a lifetime to develop bad habits, so it’s not surprising that it’s difficult to change.

Summary of steps to lower your risk of Cardiovascular Disease:

1. Achieve and maintain ideal body weight
2. Include a variety of fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, soy products, and low-fat dairy products in your diet.
3. Eat baked or broiled fish at least twice per week
4. Limit intake of saturated fat and trans fat/ try to consume food rich in omega-3 fatty acids
5. Limit alcohol intake (less than 2 drinks per day for men / 1 drink per day for women.
6. Reduce salt intake (< 2400 mg/d of sodium)
7. Exercise – Walking 30 minutes per day can reduce your risk of MI by as much as 50%!!!
8. Quit Smoking
9. Talk to your doctor about Aspirin use (risk of bleeding) but effective for reducing risk of MI.
10. Proper medical care for conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, etc.