Heart Failure

The best way to prevent heart failure is to have a Reference healthy lifestyle and control existing health problems like high blood pressure and diabetes.

To reduce your risk:

• Don't smoke. If you smoke, quit. Avoid secondhand smoke too.
• Lower your cholesterol. If you have high cholesterol, follow your doctor's advice for lowering it. Eating a heart-healthy diet—such as the Reference TLC diet Opens New Window—exercising, and quitting smoking will help keep your cholesterol low.
• Control your blood pressure. Exercising, limiting alcohol, and controlling stress will help keep your blood pressure in a healthy range.
• Get regular exercise. Exercise will help control your weight, blood pressure, and stress. Controlling these things will help keep your heart healthy. Try to do activities that raise your heart rate. Aim for at least 2½ hours of Reference moderate exercise Opens New Window a week.^{Reference 1}
• Control diabetes. Take your medicines as directed, and work with your doctor to make a diet and exercise plan to control diabetes.
• Limit alcohol. If you drink alcohol, drink moderately. This means no more than 2 drinks a day for men and 1 drink a day for women.

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