A risk factor is something about you that increases your chance of getting a disease or having a certain health condition. Some risk factors for heart disease you cannot change, but some you can. Changing the risk factors that you have control over will help you live a longer, healthier life.

Risk Factors You Cannot Change

Some of the things about you that increase your risk of getting heart disease that you CANNOT change are:

• Your age. Risk of heart disease increases with age.
• Your gender. Men have a higher risk of getting heart disease than women who are still menstruating. After menopause, the risk for women is the same as the risk for men.
• Your genes or race. If your parents had heart disease, you are at higher risk. African-Americans, Mexican Americans, American Indians, Hawaiians, and some Asian Americans also have a higher risk for heart problems.

Risk Factors You Can Change

Some of the risks for heart disease that you CAN change are:

• Not smoking. If you do smoke, quit.
• Controlling your cholesterol through diet, exercise, and medicines, if needed. See also: Cholesterol - drug treatment
• Controlling high blood pressure through diet, exercise, and medicines, if needed. See also: Controlling your blood pressure
• Exercising at least 30 minutes a day
• Keeping to a healthy weight by eating healthy foods, eating less, and joining a weight loss program, if you need to lose weight
• Learning healthy ways to cope with stress through special classes or programs, or things like meditation or yoga
• Limiting how much alcohol you drink to 1 drink a day for women and 2 a day for men

Good nutrition is important to your heart health and will help control some of your risk factors.

• Choose a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
• Choose lean proteins, such as chicken, fish, beans and legumes.
• Choose low-fat dairy products, such as 1% milk and other low-fat items.
• Avoid sodium (salt) and fats found in fried foods, processed foods, and baked goods.
• Eat fewer animal products that contain cheese, cream, or eggs.
• Read labels, and stay away from "saturated fat" and anything that contains "partially-hydrogenated" or "hydrogenated" fats. These products are usually loaded with unhealthy fats.

See also:

• Cholesterol and your lifestyle
• How to read a food label
• Low-salt diet

Follow these guidelines and the advice of your doctor to lower your chances of developing heart disease.

Alternate Names

Heart disease - prevention