Heart Disease Preventive Guidelines

We are committed to heart disease prevention. While there are many risk factors that are not in your control, there are steps you can take to lower your risk. Know your risk factors, get regular heart screenings and make heart-healthy lifestyle changes to help prevent heart disease from developing.

Heart Disease Risk Factors

We believe strongly in patient education. Knowing your risk factors for heart disease is the first step to living a heart healthy lifestyle.

Risk factors include:

  • Age, since your heart may weaken as you age.
  • Gender; men are at greater risk than women.
  • Family history of heart disease
  • Smoking
  • Eating foods that are high in fat, salt and cholesterol
  • Being overweight
  • High blood pressure
  • High cholesterol levels
  • Diabetes
  • Lack of exercise
  • High stress

Heart Disease Prevention: Lifestyle Changes

While you can't control your age, gender or family history, you can control many of the other risk factors. Talk to us about planning a heart-healthy lifestyle to lower your risk of heart disease.

Lifestyle changes include:

  • Quit smoking
  • Get regular exercise. The goal is 30 minutes of moderate to intense physical activity on most days of the week.
  • Eat a heart-healthy diet. This includes plenty of fruits, vegetables and whole grains, while reducing foods high in fat, salt and cholesterol.
  • Maintain a healthy weight
  • Get chronic conditions under control, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes
  • Manage stress. Learning how to adapt to stressful situations and establishing social connections can help you lower your risk for heart disease

Contact Us

Find out if you are at risk for heart disease. To schedule a screening appointment today, please call the Healthy Heart Center at (813) 872-3780. Get directions to our facility.