Heart disease - risk factors

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is a narrowing of the blood vessels that supply blood and oxygen to the heart. CHD is also called coronary artery disease. Risk factors are things that increase your chance of getting a disease or condition. This article discusses the risk factors for CHD and things you can do to lessen your risk.

What is a Risk Factor?

A risk factor is something about you that increases your chance of getting a disease or having a certain health condition. Some risk factors for CHD you cannot change, but some you can. Changing the risk factors that you have control over may help you live a longer, healthier life.

Risk Factors you Cannot Change

Some of your CHD risk factors that you CANNOT change are:

• Your age. The risk for CHD increases with age.
• Your sex. Men have a higher risk of getting CHD than women who are still menstruating. After menopause, the risk for women gets closer to the risk for men.
• Your genes or race. If your parents had CHD, you are at higher risk. African Americans, Mexican Americans, American Indians, Hawaiians, and some Asian Americans also have a higher risk for heart problems.

Risk Factors you can Change

Some of the risk factors for CHD that you CAN change are:

• Not smoking. If you do smoke, quit.
• Controlling your cholesterol through diet, exercise, and medicines, if needed.

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• Controlling high blood pressure through diet, exercise, and medicines, if needed.

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• Controlling diabetes through diet, exercise, and medicines, if needed.
• Exercising at least 30 minutes a day.
• Keeping to a healthy weight by eating healthy foods, eating less, and joining a weight loss program, if you need to lose weight.
• Learning healthy ways to cope with stress through special classes or programs, or things like meditation or yoga.
• Limiting how much alcohol you drink to 1 drink a day for women and 2 a day for men.

Good nutrition is important to your heart health and will help control some of your risk factors.

• Choose a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
• Choose lean proteins, such as chicken, fish, beans and legumes.
• Choose low-fat dairy products, such as 1% milk and other low-fat items.
• Avoid sodium (salt) and fats found in fried foods, processed foods, and baked goods.
• Eat fewer animal products that contain cheese, cream, or eggs.
• Read labels, and stay away from "saturated fat" and anything that contains "partially-hydrogenated" or "hydrogenated" fats. These products are usually loaded with unhealthy fats.

Follow these guidelines and the advice of your health care provider to lower your chances of developing CHD.