What is cardiovascular disease?
Your cardiovascular system includes your heart and blood vessels (arteries and veins). Cardiovascular disease (CVD) includes health problems that affect your cardiovascular system, such as coronary artery disease (narrow/blocked arteries). Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States.
How can I prevent and reverse cardiovascular disease?
There is no way to completely prevent or reverse CVD. This is because things you can’t control, like gender, age, race and your family health history can increase your risk of CVD. But, there are also many risk factors you can control, like eating a heart-healthy diet, not using tobacco/nicotine and controlling your blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Making healthy changes can help prevent CVD and improve your cardiovascular health if you have CVD.
Risk factors you cannot control include:
- Getting older. As you get older, you have a higher risk of CVD. About 85% of people who die of coronary artery disease are 65 or older.
- Being a man. The risk of having a heart attack is higher for men than it is for women.*
- The risk of CVD is higher for women after they go through menopause.
- Family history of CVD. Your risk of CVD is higher if a parent, brother, sister or child has/had CVD. This is especially true if the relative is a man who was younger than 55 or a woman younger than 65 when they were diagnosed.
- Your risk of CVD is higher if you come from African, Mexican, Native American, Native Hawaiian or some Asian heritages. Some of the increased risk is because there are higher rates of obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure in these populations.
* The use of “man/male” and “woman/female” throughout this information refers to biologically assigned sex.
Risk factors you can control include:
- Using tobacco and nicotine. The #1 way to prevent CVD is to not use tobacco or nicotine in any form. Smoking more than doubles your risk of a heart attack and is the #1 risk factor for sudden cardiac death.
Reduce your risk. If you use tobacco or nicotine, quit. Ask your healthcare provider about ways to stop. Avoid secondhand smoke because it also increases your risk of CVD.
- Cholesterol and triglyceride levels. There are two types of cholesterol ─ LDL (bad) and HDL (good). If you have too much LDL cholesterol in your blood, it can collect in your arteries and keep your heart from getting the blood and oxygen it needs. The HDL cholesterol helps move LDL cholesterol away from your arteries and out of your body through the liver. Triglycerides are fats in your blood that can also build up in your arteries.
Reduce your risk. Get a complete fasting cholesterol profile. Ask your healthcare provider about your cholesterol and triglyceride goals.
Common cholesterol level goals are:
- Total cholesterol less than 200 mg/dl.
- Triglycerides less than 150 mg/dl.
- LDL less than: 139 mg/dl (average risk of CVD), 100 mg/dl (high risk of CVD), 70 mg/dl (if you have CVD).
- HDL higher than: 40 mg/dl for men (higher is better), 50 mg/dl for women (higher is better).
- Blood pressure. Blood pressure is the amount of force against your arteries as your heart beats. High blood pressure can cause a heart attack, heart failure, stroke and kidney disease.
Reduce your risk. Ask your healthcare provider about your blood pressure goals. The ideal blood pressure for most people is less than 120/80. High blood pressure can be managed with lifestyle and diet changes and medicine, if needed.
- Blood sugar/diabetes. If your body has trouble making or using insulin, your blood sugar levels increase. This causes diabetes. Diabetes can cause poor cholesterol levels and high blood pressure, which increase your risk of CVD, especially for women.
Reduce your risk. If you have diabetes, see your healthcare provider for regular visits, follow your plan of care and monitor your blood sugar.
Common blood sugar goals are:
- HbA1c less than 5.7 (not diabetic).
- HbA1c less than 6.5 (if you are diabetic).
- HbA1c between 5.7 and 6.4 is considered to be pre-diabetic/insulin resistant.
Sleep. Getting enough sleep every night helps your body in many ways. A lack of sleep can lead to CVD, depression, high blood pressure and cholesterol levels, obesity and other problems.
Reduce your risk. Practice good sleep hygiene that includes a regular sleep schedule and routine. Talk to your healthcare provider about ways to improve your bedtime routine and sleep quality, such as avoiding electronic devices and caffeine late in the day.
Goals for sleep are:
- Adults: 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night.
- Teens (13-18): 8 to 10 hours each night.
- Children (6-12): 9 to 12 hours each night.
- Young children (5 and younger): 10 to 16 hours of sleep daily (includes naps).
- Weight. Extra body weight can lead to diabetes, high blood pressure, poor cholesterol levels, CVD and other health problems. Your body mass index (BMI) and waist measurement affect your risk of CVD.
Reduce your risk. Talk to your healthcare provider about your goals and ways to help you reach them.
- A BMI is 5 – 24.9 kg/m2 is considered to be healthy.
- A BMI 25-30 is considered to be overweight.
- A BMI over 30 is considered to be obese.
Know your BMI. Use an online BMI calculator, ask your healthcare provider or use this formula:
Your weight, in kg (pounds divided by 2.2), divided by your height, in meters2 (inches multiplied by 0.0254)
Waist measurement. Carrying weight in your middle rather than in your arms and legs increases your risk of CVD.
Waist measurement goals are:
- Less than 40 inches for men (35.4" for Asians).
- Less than 35 inches for women (31.5" for Asians).
- Exercise. Your heart is a muscle and needs exercise to keep it strong and healthy. Staying active helps control your blood pressure, cholesterol levels, blood sugar, stress and weight. It also helps you quit using tobacco/nicotine.
Reduce your risk. Talk to your healthcare provider before you start any exercise program.
Common goals are:
- At least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise every day. Aerobic exercise includes brisk walking, swimming, jogging, jumping rope, riding a bike, etc. If you walk, aim for 10,000 steps per day.
- Diet. Eating foods that are high in sugar, saturated fat, sodium and low in healthy nutrients can lead to high blood pressure, poor cholesterol levels, high blood sugar, obesity and other problems. These all increase your risk of CVD.
Reduce your risk. Follow a Mediterranean diet. Choose whole foods, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and healthy fats. Ask your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian for more information about food choices and goals.
Alcohol. Drinking too much alcohol can lead to high blood pressure, stroke, heart failure, abnormal heart rhythms, obesity cancer and other problems.
Reduce your risk. Talk honestly to your healthcare provider about your drinking habits and ask for help, if needed.
- Stress. Stress is a normal part of life. Too much stress may increase your risk of CVD, especially if you have other risk factors.
Reduce your risk. Reduce and manage stress by setting realistic goals, using effective time management techniques, getting massages, and practicing yoga, meditation, Tai Chi, guided imagery and mind-body exercises.
Know your risk
Talk to your healthcare provider about your risk factors for CVD. It is important to know your numbers ─ cholesterol levels, blood pressure, weight, blood sugar, etc. and create goals to reduce your risk of CVD. See your healthcare provider for all follow-up visits and a yearly check-up, and discuss any questions or concerns you have.
