Preventing Heart Disease

Preventing heart disease is both simple and difficult. It's simple because most people in this day and age understand exactly what they should do to be healthy. It's difficult because old habits, fat-laden diets, and sedentary lifestyles are hard to change.

Excessive alcohol use can damage your heart. Avoid drinking heavily. If you are a regular, heavy drinker, consider getting help. Heavy drinking can lead to heart disease and can cause damage to other organs as well. On the other hand, a moderately controlled consumption of red wine – one to two glasses a day – may actually provide health benefits. Read more about the positive connection between red wine and heart health.

Excess pounds put strain on your heart. Furthermore, the heart works harder whenever you exert yourself, so carrying an extra twenty to fifty pounds can increase the likelihood that you'll suffer from heart failure.

Exercise helps you maintain a healthy weight and prevent heart disease. It is also a way to keep a good supply of oxygen in your blood and to maintain a healthy circulatory system. A sedentary lifestyle has been shown to increase the likelihood of developing heart disease. Learn how you can feel better with exercise.

Smoking has been linked to heart disease as much as it has to lung cancer. Remember that smoking is addictive. Quitting smoking will likely be one of the most difficult challenges of your life. You may benefit from belonging to a support group.

Hypertension or elevated blood pressure is also linked to heart disease, particularly heart failure. Monitor your blood pressure, especially if you have a personal or family history of heart disease. Check the list of hypertension risk factors to find out if you're at risk.

If you do have high blood pressure, follow your doctor's guidelines and take measures to find out what you can do to reduce it.

If you have family members with diabetes or you're overweight, you may be at risk for diabetes. Find out about diabetes symptoms and ask your doctor about the likelihood of getting type 1 or type 2 diabetes.

If you already have diabetes, prevent heart disease by keeping your blood sugar under control. Heart and liver disease are among the serious complications of uncontrolled diabetes.

Some people have high cholesterol because of their diets. Others have cholesterol problems in spite of eating a healthy diet. Therefore, they must take medication to control their cholesterol.

Regardless of the cause, work with your physician to monitor your cholesterol levels. If you need medication, take it as directed. Get more information on cholesterol and find out how to maintain optimal levels of HDL ("good") and LDL ("bad") cholesterol.