How Do I Reduce My Risk of Heart Disease?
By Richard N. Fogoros, M.D., About.com Guide
- Assess Your Risk for Heart Disease
- Lower Your Cholesterol and Triglycerides
- Manage Your Hypertension (High Blood Pressure)
- Change Your Diet and Lose Weight
- Exercise for Heart Health
Assess Your Risk for Heart Disease
Knowing is half the battle: Start by measuring your risk of heart disease.
- Assess Your Risk For Heart Disease
- My Heart Is Healthy - How Can I Keep It That Way?
- 9 “New” Risk Factors
- The "Am I At Risk?" Quiz for Women
- Measuring CRP Levels Can be Important to Heart Health
- How Should I Deal With High Heart Disease Risk?
Lower Your Cholesterol and Triglycerides
Abnormal blood lipid levels are strongly associated with an increased risk of heart disease. But understanding what you can (and should) do about your cholesterol and triglycerides can seem confusing. Here is what you need to know.
- Cholesterol and Triglycerides: What You Need To Know
- The Cholesterol and Triglyceride Test
- Treatments For Lowering Cholesterol
- Cholesterol - Do You Really Need To Be Treated?
- Deciding On the Best Cholesterol Treatment For You
- All About Triglycerides
- Raising Your HDL, or "Good Cholesterol" Levels
- Exercise and HDL Cholesterol
- Does Cholesterol Need To Be Measured In Children?
- Red Yeast Rice Linked to Risk Reduction
- How Important Is Cholesterol, Really?
- National Cholesterol Guidelines
- The Statin Drugs - What You Need To Know
- Effects of Statins - Why Are Statins Different?
- Do Statins Cause Memory Loss?
- Can You Lower Cholesterol Without a Prescription?
- Drugs For Cholesterol and Triglycerides
Manage Your Hypertension (High Blood Pressure)
Hypertension is a major risk factor for heart attack and stroke. Properly diagnosing and treating hypertension is critical to reducing your risk of heart disease
- Hypertension Basics
- How Is Hypertension Diagnosed?
- Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring
- Treating Hypertension
- Prehypertension
- White Coat Hypertension
- Hypertension Drugs
- Salt Restriction For Hypertension
- Should EVERYONE Be on Salt Restriction?
Change Your Diet and Lose Weight
Both what you eat and how often you exercise are two major factors to consider if you want to reduce your risk of heart disease. Choosing heart-healthy foods and engaging in physical activity can make a significant difference when it comes to protecting your heart.
- What Is A Heart-Healthy Diet?
- Low Fat Diet vs. Low Carb Diet
- The Mediterranean Diet and Heart Health
- Omega-3 Fatty Acids For Cardiovascular Health
- How are Transfatty Acids Related to the Heart?
- Nuts Help Prevent Heart Disease
- The Benefits of Green Tea for Heart Health
- The Facts About Obesity
- The Body Mass Index (BMI) Controversy
- Fat and Fit: The Importance of Weight and Exercise
- Is Diet or Exercise More Important for Heart Health?
- Exercise for Weight Loss 101
Exercise for Heart Health
Exercise is a crucial component to reducing your risk of heart disease, but deciding what kind of exercise to do and how much to do it can be difficult. Rather than stress about it, check out some of these helpful guidelines and recommendations.
- Exercise and the Heart
- The Benefits of Exercise
- Heart-Healthy Exercise Guidelines
- How Much Exercise Is Really Necessary?
- Raising HDL Cholesterol Levels With Exercise
- Exercise Recommendations For Specific Cardiac Conditions
- Exercise After A Heart Attack - Cardiac Rehabilitation
- When Should Young Athletes Be Screened For Heart Disease?
Quit Smoking
Recent studies have found that smoking is a significant cause of heart attacks in younger patients. No matter your age, consider getting rid of the tobacco in your life if you want to improve the health of your heart.
- How Smoking Affects Your Health
- How Smoking Causes Heart Disease
- Smoking Is The Chief Cause of Heart Attacks In Young People
- How To Quit Smoking
- Why You Should Quit Smoking TODAY
- Walt's Story: How This Heart Disease Patient Quit Smoking
- Your Quit Smoking Tool Box
Control Your Blood Sugar
People who have diabetes or metabolic syndrome have a greatly increased risk of heart disease. Learn more about what you can do to reduce that risk.
- What Is Diabetes?
- What Is Metabolic Syndrome?
- The Battle Over Metabolic Syndrome
- How Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome Contribute to Heart Disease
- Controlling Your Heart Disease Risk With Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome
Reduce Stress
Yep, you guessed it: stress plays a role in heart health, too. Exactly what kind of stress is involved and why it has the effect it does may surprise you. Once you know how stress is working against you, you can begin to de-stress your way to a healthier heart.
- Stress and Heart Disease
- What Kind of Stress Causes Heart Disease, and Who Does It Affect?
- How Does Stress Cause Heart Disease?
- Preventing Stress-Related Heart Problems
- Individualized Stress Reliever Plan
Manage Other Risks
Although you'll find many of the major players affecting heart disease discussed above, there are lots of other factors that can have an important role in your heart health.
