Heart Disease Prevention
Reducing your risk for heart attack is within your grasp if you improve your lifestyle and habits. At St. John’s, helping patients manage cardiac disease in their daily lives is one of our goals. It's important to act before you have a heart attack. Start taking preventive measures today for heart disease prevention.
Small Changes Can Make a Big Difference in Heart Disease Prevention
- Exercise more - Exercise helps you maintain your cholesterol, lose weight and reduce your risk of heart disease, diabetes and colon cancer. Try to do 30 minutes of aerobic exercise, like brisk walking, each day.
- Lose weight - Losing even five to 10 pounds can lower your total cholesterol and lessen your risk for heart disease.
- Cut back the fat - High-fat diets are notorious for causing cholesterol levels to rise.
- Eat more soluble fiber - Such fiber can be found in fruit, beans, peas and other legumes and oats.
- Eat two to three servings (3 to 4 ounces) of baked or broiled fish per week - Darker-fleshed fish, such as mackerel, lake trout, herring, salmon and halibut have more omega-3 oils, which help lower blood triglycerides.
- Quit smoking - Smoking cigarettes may lower "good" cholesterol by as much as 15 percent, according to the Mayo Clinic. By quitting, your "good" cholesterol may return to its higher level.
- Cholesterol-lowering drugs - If none of these tips helps you succeed, or if you are at higher risk for heart disease, you may want to discuss the possibility of taking cholesterol-lowering drugs. Talk to your doctor to find a plan that's right for you.
To better understand your heart health risks, take our free Heart Health Assessment.
For a cardiologist at St. John's and to learn more about heart disease prevention, call (877) 753-6248, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.