Five Ways to Lower Your Risk for Heart Disease

Heart disease, the No. 1 cause of death in the United States, claims more lives than all forms of cancer combined. There are many simple things you can do to lower your risk, no matter your age, your gender or your family history.

Terence Lin, M.D., a cardiologist with Palo Alto Medical Foundation, offers these steps to lower your risk of heart disease – starting at any age.

Get Active

Exercise is a proven way to reduce your risk of heart disease. “Regular physical activity will not only lower disease risk, it will make you feel better on a daily basis and increase your ability to actively take part in life,” Dr. Lin says.

The American Heart Association recommends getting at least 150 minutes a week of moderate exercise. That is about 30 minutes of active movement, five days out of the week.  

But you don’t have to run marathons to get the heart benefits of exercise. Using a pedometer or fitness tracker can help motivate you to increase your daily exercise amount. While a goal of 10,000 steps a day is ideal, Dr. Lin says, there are consistent health gains shown at 5,000 steps per day.

Dr. Lin emphasizes that this movement goal should extend through life. “At age 90, even 5,000 steps per day may be a stretch, but keep moving,” he says.

Don't Smoke

Smoking is a contributor to heart disease, as well as lung cancer, emphysema and a host of other dangerous conditions. Quit as soon as you can, recommends Dr. Lin.

Sutter care centers offer several smoking cessation programs, including multiple-week courses at our affiliate hospitals and support through Sutter Express Care, a service found in select Rite Aid stores. Counseling and medication are both effective for treating tobacco dependence, and using them together is more effective than using either one alone, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

What about vaping, the newest trend of inhaling steam vapor mixed with flavored nicotine?

“The jury is out on the impact of the various compounds in the vapor itself. Unfortunately, there is no consistency or regulation about what compounds are in the vaping liquid, and the longer term impacts are unknown,” Dr. Lin says.

Treat Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea can contribute to increased heart disease risk, particularly for people with high blood pressure. If you snore, you may have sleep apnea – a condition in which you actually stop breathing for a short spell, then awaken with a start. Other symptoms that may be related to the disrupted sleep of sleep apnea, according to Dr. Lin:

• Being tired in the morning, even after a full night’s sleep.
• Falling asleep or in front of the TV, even if the program is lively.
• Noticing your eyelids feeling heavy in a meeting, while reading, or other sedentary activities.
• Feeling like you can’t stay asleep.

If you think you may have sleep apnea, discuss your symptoms with your doctor.

Maintain a Healthy Weight

The Body Mass Index (BMI) is the simplest way to gauge if you are at a healthy weight. A BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 is optimal. Between 25 and 29 is considered “overweight.” A  BMI over 30 is classified as obese – the most dangerous weight category in relation to your health.  

Also, notice where excess weight is stored in your body, Dr. Lin says: “The bigger you are in the middle, the higher the risk of heart disease.”

Losing just 3 to 5 percent of your weight has been shown to lower your heart disease risk. “I tell my patients not to think about dieting, but to focus on eating smaller food portions. Eat the food of a smaller person,” Dr. Lin says.

Overall, portion control (eating less) is important. But for heart disease prevention, the content of the diet matters, too, of course. So avoiding too much saturated fat in the diet, a proven heart attack risk, is also a good idea.

Know Your Cholesterol Levels

High levels of cholesterol in the body are associated with heart disease.  Dr. Lin suggests that you have a cholesterol blood test (called a lipid panel) around age 35 for men, 45 for women. If you have a strong family history of heart attack or stroke you should have a lipid panel earlier.  

After seeing your results, work with your doctor on a plan for lowering your cholesterol level, if needed, by making changes in your habits or perhaps with medication.