Heart disease is the leading killer of American adults. About 695,000 people die of some form of heart disease in the United States every year — that’s 1 in 5 deaths — and 375,476 die of coronary heart disease (CHD), sometimes known as coronary artery disease (CAD), the most common type. What are you doing to lower your risk of becoming a statistic?

Here at Northwest Houston Heart Center, cardiologists Dr. A. Adnan Aslam and Dr. Roy Norman encourage you to take your heart health seriously and take active steps to lower your risk for CAD and other forms of heart disease. This American Heart Month, they’re offering some suggestions for what you can do to keep your heart healthy.

What is coronary artery disease?

Coronary artery disease occurs when the arteries leading to the heart can’t deliver enough oxygen-rich blood to the heart muscle because they’re narrowed or blocked by plaque. Plaque is a substance formed from fats, cholesterol, protein, cell debris, and calcium that clings to the artery walls, hardens, and narrows the conduit.

This condition is called atherosclerosis, and as a result of the buildup, the heart has to work harder to pump blood.

Unfortunately, most people don’t have any overt symptoms as the plaque builds up, not until they reach a crisis like a heart attack. That’s why regular checkups with your doctor are so important; they can catch the problem in its early stages, when it’s easier to treat and a crisis can be prevented.

What can I do to lower my risk of heart disease?

You can do a number of things to decrease your risk of heart-related problems.

Monitor your blood pressure

The doctor takes your blood pressure every time you come into the office, but if you only come in occasionally, your numbers may get out of whack before the problem is detected.

Fortunately, most pharmacies and medical supply stores sell at-home monitors, so you can take your blood pressure on a regular basis. A normal reading is considered 120/80 mm Hg (millimeters of mercury) or lower. If you notice your numbers starting to creep up, you know it’s time to make an appointment with the office.

Eat a healthy diet

Your body needs proper nutrition to function at its best. Make sure you eat plenty of fruit and vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains, and drink plenty of water to keep your body hydrated. Limit your consumption of sugary and caffeinated drinks and alcohol.

You should also limit high-fat and high-cholesterol foods such as red meat, full-fat dairy, and highly processed foods like deli meats and sugary baked goods that may also contain unhealthy trans fats.

Your body actually produces all the cholesterol it needs to function in the liver; what you eat is excess cholesterol that has to be removed before it contributes to plaque buildup. If you eat too much cholesterol, especially the “bad” low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, you risk clogging your arteries.

Maintain a healthy weight

Being overweight or obese increases the work your heart has to do. It also raises your blood pressure and blood cholesterol and triglyceride (a type of fat) levels and lowers HDL (good) cholesterol levels. It can even make it more likely you’ll develop diabetes.

Losing just 3% to 5% of your body weight can result in meaningful improvements in blood glucose and triglyceride levels and lower your risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Greater weight loss (5-10%) can even help reduce blood pressure and improve blood cholesterol. Reductions in these numbers decrease your risk for heart disease, as well.

Get enough exercise

Aerobic exercise, such as running, swimming, playing tennis, or cycling, improves your circulation, which results in lower blood pressure, a lower heart rate, and improved cardiac output (how well your heart pumps). It also reduces your risk of type 2 diabetes and, if you already live with diabetes, helps you control your blood glucose.

Aim for 30 minutes a day, five days a week, for a total of 150 minutes a week of moderate activity – enough to increase your heart rate while you work out.

Want to learn more about lowering your risk of heart disease? Northwest Houston Heart Center can help. Give us a call at any of our locations (Tomball, Cypress, Magnolia, and The Woodlands, Texas), or book online today. You can also text us at 832-402-9518.