Take Action Now to Prevent Heart Disease Later

Make Heart-Healthy Choices When You’re Young

By the time you’re in your 50s and 60s, how you treated your heart earlier in life may catch up with you.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men, women, and people of most racial and ethnic groups in the U.S., resulting in 697,000 deaths per year—or 1 in every 5 deaths.

And yet, heart disease is largely preventable and even reversible in some cases. By making heart-smart lifestyle choices early in life and being vigilant about age-appropriate screening, you can help keep your heart healthy for decades to come.

Your annual wellness checkup includes heart-health screenings to measure blood pressure, cholesterol, BMI and glucose. It’s also a good time to talk to your doctor about lifestyle choices you can make to lower your risk—and even prevent—heart disease, such as:

• Not smoking or using tobacco products.
• Eating lots of fruits and vegetables, and choosing low-fat, low-cholesterol, low-salt foods.
• Maintaining a healthy weight.
• Getting at least 30 minutes of exercise a day.
• Keeping your cholesterol levels in normal ranges (have it checked every five years).
• Controlling your blood pressure (have it checked regularly).
• Drinking alcohol in moderation if you drink.
• If you have diabetes, controlling your blood sugar.

One person dies every 34 seconds from cardiovascular disease in the U.S.

Source: CDC