Health & Fitness

How to reduce the risk of a heart attack

Heart Attacks are the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States. Heart Attacks are caused by a narrowing of the coronary arteries that supply blood to the heart, and often results in a heart attack.

Each year, about 1.1 million Americans suffer a heart attack. About 460,000 of those heart attacks are fatal. About half of those deaths occur within 1 hour of the start of symptoms and before the person reaches the hospital.

To reduce risks of heart attacks the following steps should be taken:

Stop smoking

Smoking greatly increases the risk of heart attacks in both men and women. It also increases the risk of a second heart attack among survivors. Quitting smoking greatly reduces the risk of a heart attack. One year after quitting, the risk drops to about one-half that of current smokers and gradually returns to normal in persons without heart disease. Even among persons with heart disease, the risk also drops sharply one year after quitting smoking and it continues to decline over time but the risk does not return to normal

Regulate blood pressure

High blood pressure makes the heart work harder. It increases the risk of developing heart disease, as well as kidney disease and stroke.

Reduce cholesterol

High cholesterol is treated with lifestyle changes-a heart healthy eating plan, physical activity, and loss of excess weight-and, if those do not lower it enough, medication. Medications include statins, bile acid sequestrants, nicontinic acid, and fibric acids

Be physically active

To protect your heart, you only need to do 30 minutes of a moderate-intensity activity on most and, preferably, all days of the week. If 30 minutes is too much at one time, you can break it up into periods of at least 10 minutes each.

Manage diabetes