Risk factors for heart

Keeping your heart healthy, whatever your age, is the most important thing you can do to help prevent and manage heart disease.

Taking exercise, eating a healthy diet, encouraging children to be heart healthy and being aware of dangers such as smoking, drinking, high blood pressure, and stress are all important for your long term heart health, whether you currently have heart disease or not.

1. Eating healthily

A healthy diet helps to reduce your risk of developing heart disease, or if you've already got heart problems it will help to protect your heart.

2. Being active

People of all ages who are physically active are less likely to get cardiovascular disease as those that are inactive.

3. Getting the right support

Having friends around you who are supportive of your goals is very important.

Even if you have a family history, you can reduce your risk of getting cardiovascular disease by controlling other risk factors such as:

• not smoking
• managing high blood pressure
• managing high blood cholesterol
• being physically active
• keeping to a healthy weight and body shape, and
• controlling diabetes, if you have it.

The following factors may also increase your risk of developing coronary heart disease or having a stroke:

• A lack of physical activity, which can also affect your weight, your blood pressure and your cholesterol.
• People on lower incomes are more exposed to the risk factors for coronary heart disease and stroke, and are less likely to make healthy lifestyle choices.
• Stress is not a direct risk factor for cardiovascular disease, but it’s possible that it may contribute. Some people cope with stress with risky behaviour – such as smoking, drinking too much alcohol and overeating. These can increase your risk of developing cardiovascular disease. 
• Drinking more than the recommended limits can have a harmful effect on the heart. It can cause abnormal heart rhythms, high blood pressure, damage to the heart muscle and other diseases such as stroke, liver problems and some cancers. Alcohol is also high in calories so it can lead to weight gain. If you are trying to lose weight, cut down on alcohol.