If you have high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or diabetes, you can take steps to lower your risk for heart disease.

Your health care team should test your blood levels of cholesterol at least once every 4 to 6 years. If you have already been diagnosed with high cholesterol or have a family history of the condition, you may need to have your cholesterol checked more often. Talk with your health care team about this simple blood test.

If you have high cholesterol, medicines and lifestyle changes can help reduce your risk for heart disease.

High blood pressure usually has no symptoms, so have it checked on a regular basis. Your health care team should measure your blood pressure at least once every 2 years if you have never had high blood pressure or other risk factors for heart disease.

If you have been diagnosed with high blood pressure, also called hypertension, your health care team will measure your blood pressure more often to make sure you have the condition under control.

Talk with your health care team about how often you should check your blood pressure. If you have high blood pressure, your health care team might recommend some changes in your lifestyle, such as lowering the sodium in your diet; your doctor may also prescribe medicine to help lower your blood pressure.

If you have diabetes, monitor your blood sugar levels carefully. Talk with your health care team about treatment options. Your doctor may recommend certain lifestyle changes to help keep your blood sugar under control.

These actions will help reduce your risk for heart disease. Never stop taking your medicine without first talking to your doctor, nurse, or pharmacist.

You and your health care team can work together to prevent or treat the medical conditions that lead to heart disease. Discuss your treatment plan regularly, and bring a list of questions to your appointments.

Talk with your health care team about how heart disease and mental health disorders are related. Your treatment plan may include medicines or surgery and lifestyle changes to reduce your risk.

Skip directly to site content Skip directly to search. Español Other Languages. Prevent Heart Disease. Minus Related Pages. Share Fact Sheets About Heart Disease Patient Education Handouts. Choose Healthy Foods and Drinks Choose healthy meals and snacks to help prevent heart disease and its complications.

Eating lots of foods high in saturated fat and trans fat may contribute to heart disease. Eating foods high in fiber and low in saturated fats, trans fat, and cholesterol can help prevent high cholesterol.

Limiting salt sodium in your diet can also lower your blood pressure. Limiting sugar in your diet can lower your blood sugar level to prevent or help control diabetes. Do not drink too much alcohol, which can raise your blood pressure.

Men should have no more than 2 drinks per day, and women no more than 1 drink per day. Keep a Healthy Weight People with overweight or obesity have a higher risk for heart disease. One of the best things you can do for your health is to not use tobacco in any form. Tobacco use is a hard-to-break habit that can slow you down, make you sick, and shorten your life.

One way it does this is by contributing to heart disease. The nicotine that tobacco products deliver is one of the most addictive substances around.

That makes tobacco use one of the toughest unhealthy habits to break. In fact, in the United States today there are more ex-smokers than smokers.

Excess weight and an extra-large waist size both contribute to heart disease, as well as a host of other health problems.

In a study of over one million women, body-mass index BMI was a strong risk factor for coronary heart disease. The incidence of coronary heart disease increases progressively with BMI. Weight and height go hand-in-hand. The taller you are, the more you weigh. The one most commonly used is BMI.

Exercise and physical activity are excellent ways to prevent heart disease and many other diseases and conditions, [] but many of us get less activity as we get older.

For years, research into connections between diet and heart disease focused on individual nutrients like cholesterol and foods high in dietary cholesterol, like eggs , types of fats, and specific vitamins and minerals.

This work has been revealing, but it has also generated some dead ends, along with myths and confusion about what constitutes a heart-healthy diet.

Research has shown that sleep is an essential component of cardiovascular health. Along with these five practices, the American Heart Association recommends controlling cholesterol, managing blood sugar, and managing blood pressure as additional factors for improving and maintaining cardiovascular health.

Reprinted from Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Vol 72, Issue 8, E Yu, VS Malik, FB Hu, Cardiovascular Disease Prevention by Diet Modification: JACC Health Promotion Series, , , with permission from Elsevier.

Strong studies make it possible to link reductions in risk to these habits. The contents of this website are for educational purposes and are not intended to offer personal medical advice. You should seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

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Search for:. Home Nutrition News What Should I Eat? Secondary prevention. These efforts are started after someone has a heart attack or stroke , undergoes angioplasty or bypass surgery, or develops some other form of heart disease. These steps can prevent a second heart attack or stroke, halt the progression of heart disease, and prevent early death.

It may be obvious, but the number one killer of individuals who survive a first heart attack is a second heart attack. Primary prevention. Primary prevention aims to keep an individual at risk of heart disease from having a first heart attack or stroke, needing angioplasty or surgery, or developing some other form of heart disease.

Primary prevention is usually aimed at people who already have developed cardiovascular risk factors, such as high blood pressure or high cholesterol.

As with secondary prevention, primary prevention focuses on controlling these risk factors by making healthy lifestyle changes and, if needed, taking medications. Primordial prevention. Primordial prevention involves working to prevent inflammation, atherosclerosis, and endothelial dysfunction from taking hold, and thus prevent risk factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, excess weight, and ultimately cardiovascular events.

Steps for the primordial prevention of heart disease Five key lifestyle steps can dramatically reduce your chances of developing cardiovascular risk factors and ultimately heart disease: 1. Not smoking One of the best things you can do for your health is to not use tobacco in any form.

Maintaining a healthy weight Excess weight and an extra-large waist size both contribute to heart disease, as well as a host of other health problems. Those who gained more than 22 pounds had an even greater risk of developing these diseases. You can also use an online BMI calculator or BMI table.

Overweight is defined as a BMI of 25 to In people who are not overweight, waist size may be an even more telling warning sign of increased health risks than BMI. Exercising Exercise and physical activity are excellent ways to prevent heart disease and many other diseases and conditions, [] but many of us get less activity as we get older.

Getting regular physical activity is one of the best things you can do for your health. It lowers the risk of heart disease, diabetes, stroke, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, and certain cancers, and it can also help control stress, improve sleep, boost mood, keep weight in check, and reduce the risk of falling and improve cognitive function in older adults.

A minute brisk walk five days of the week will provide important benefits for most people. Getting any amount of exercise is better than none. Exercise and physical activity benefit the body, while a sedentary lifestyle does the opposite—increasing the chances of becoming overweight and developing a number of chronic diseases.

Research shows that people who spend more time each day watching television, sitting, or riding in cars have a greater chance of dying early than people who are more active. Following a healthy diet For years, research into connections between diet and heart disease focused on individual nutrients like cholesterol and foods high in dietary cholesterol, like eggs , types of fats, and specific vitamins and minerals.

The best diet for preventing heart disease is one that is full of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, fish, poultry, and vegetable oils; includes alcohol in moderation, if at all; and goes easy on red and processed meats, refined carbohydrates, foods and beverages with added sugar, sodium, and foods with trans fat.

This study highlighted that low-fat diets are not beneficial to heart health, and that incorporating healthy fats — such as those included in the Mediterranean diet — can improve heart health and weight loss. However, there are similarities that define a Mediterranean eating pattern, including: high intake of olive oil, nuts, vegetables, fruits, and cereals; moderate intake of fish and poultry; low intake of dairy products, red meat, processed meats, and sweets; and wine in moderation, consumed with meals.

Despite different scoring methods, each of these patterns emphasizes higher intake of whole grains, vegetables, fruits, legumes, and nuts, and lower intakes of red and processed meats and sugar-sweetened beverages. The findings also showed that these different healthy eating patterns were similarly effective at lowering risk across racial and ethnic groups and other subgroups studied, and that they were statistically significantly associated with lower risk of both coronary heart disease and stroke.

Eating less salty foods and more potassium-rich foods may significantly lower the risk of cardiovascular disease. But the reverse of eating a lot of sodium-rich foods especially from processed breads, packaged snacks, canned goods, and fast-food meals while skimping on potassium can increase cardiovascular disease risk.

Improving sleep health Research has shown that sleep is an essential component of cardiovascular health. Sleeping for too short or too long a stretch is associated with heart disease and can negatively affect other heart-related risk factors like dietary intake, exercise, weight, blood pressure, and inflammation.

Talk with your doctor if you have frequent restless nights or do not feel adequately rested during the day. Improving sleep habits can make a difference. Examples include setting a sleep schedule and sticking to it, having a calming bedtime ritual like doing stretches or meditating, getting regular exercise, stopping use of electronic devices an hour before bedtime, and avoiding heavy meals, caffeine, and alcohol several hours before bed.

Other factors to consider Along with these five practices, the American Heart Association recommends controlling cholesterol, managing blood sugar, and managing blood pressure as additional factors for improving and maintaining cardiovascular health.

References Lloyd-Jones DM, Hong Y, Labarthe D, et al. Kenfield SA, Stampfer MJ, Rosner BA, Colditz GA. Smoking and smoking cessation in relation to mortality in women. Babb S, Malarcher A, Schauer G, Asman K, Jamal A. Quitting Smoking Among Adults — United States,

Rosenson RS, et al. Management of low density lipoprotein cholesterol LDL-C in the secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease. Rosenson RS. Low density lipoprotein cholesterol lowering with drugs other than statins and PCSK9 inhibitors. Tibuakuu M, et al. Bempedoic acid for LDL-C lowering: What do we know?

American College of Cardiology. De Ferranti SD, et al. Dyslipidemia in children: Management. Cholesterol management at a glance. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Accessed April 1, Related Arcus senilis: A sign of high cholesterol?

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Mayo Clinic Alumni Association. Refer a Patient. Your doctor can suggest ways to help you quit. If you have high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or diabetes, you can take steps to lower your risk for heart disease. Your health care team should test your blood levels of cholesterol at least once every 4 to 6 years.

If you have already been diagnosed with high cholesterol or have a family history of the condition, you may need to have your cholesterol checked more often. Talk with your health care team about this simple blood test.

If you have high cholesterol, medicines and lifestyle changes can help reduce your risk for heart disease. High blood pressure usually has no symptoms, so have it checked on a regular basis. Your health care team should measure your blood pressure at least once every 2 years if you have never had high blood pressure or other risk factors for heart disease.

If you have been diagnosed with high blood pressure, also called hypertension, your health care team will measure your blood pressure more often to make sure you have the condition under control.

Talk with your health care team about how often you should check your blood pressure. If you have high blood pressure, your health care team might recommend some changes in your lifestyle, such as lowering the sodium in your diet; your doctor may also prescribe medicine to help lower your blood pressure.

If you have diabetes, monitor your blood sugar levels carefully. Talk with your health care team about treatment options. Your doctor may recommend certain lifestyle changes to help keep your blood sugar under control.

These actions will help reduce your risk for heart disease. Never stop taking your medicine without first talking to your doctor, nurse, or pharmacist. You and your health care team can work together to prevent or treat the medical conditions that lead to heart disease.

Discuss your treatment plan regularly, and bring a list of questions to your appointments. Talk with your health care team about how heart disease and mental health disorders are related. Your treatment plan may include medicines or surgery and lifestyle changes to reduce your risk.

Skip directly to site content Skip directly to search. People with high blood cholesterol are more likely to have heart disease. Although the average total cholesterol level among U.

adults has gone down in recent years, millions of people still have high cholesterol. Evidence shows that interventions to help people eat healthier, get more physical activity, and lose weight can reduce total cholesterol levels.

Topics: Heart Disease and Stroke , Nutrition and Healthy Eating , Physical Activity. Workgroup: Heart Disease and Stroke Workgroup.

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