8 Things You Can Do to Prevent Heart Disease and Stroke

How can you live a longer, 健康的生活? These eight key factors can help you lower your risk of heart attack and stroke if you’ve never had one. They’re part of an overall healthy lifestyle for adults. And they can help you build a powerful prevention plan with your health care team (doctors, 护士, 药剂师, 注册营养师, 以及其他专业人士). 

1.  了解风险.

If you’re between 40 and 75 years old and have never had a heart attack or stroke, use our 检查. 改变. 控制. 计算器^TM to estimate your risk of having a cardiovascular event in the next 10 years. Certain factors can increase your risk, 比如吸烟, kidney disease or a family history of early heart disease. Knowing your risk factors can help you and your health care team decide on the best treatment plan for you. Many risk factors can be improved with lifestyle changes.

2.  健康饮食.

Center your eating plan around vegetables, 水果, 全谷物, 豆类, 坚果, 植物性蛋白质, 瘦肉蛋白和鱼类. Make smart choices like limiting refined carbohydrates, processed meats and sweetened drinks. 使用 营养成分标签 on packaged foods to cut back on sodium, added sugars and saturated fats, and avoid trans fat.

3.  积极锻炼身体.

Move more – it’s one of the best ways to stay healthy, prevent disease and age well. Adults should get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity each week. If you’re already active, you can increase your intensity for even more benefits. If you’re not active now, get started by simply sitting less and moving more.

4.  注意体重.

保持健康的体重. 减肥 如果你超重或肥胖. Start by eating fewer calories and moving more. 你可以查看你的 身体质量指数 (BMI). If you need help, talk to your health care team about a weight loss plan.

5.  无烟生活.

If you don’t smoke, vape or use tobacco products, don’t ever start. There’s no such thing as a safe tobacco product. If 戒烟或烟草 is a challenge for you, ask your team for help to kick the habit using proven methods. Don’t just swap one tobacco source for another. And try to avoid secondhand smoke, too!

6.  管理条件.

如果你有 高血压 (高血压) 高胆固醇，高血糖， 糖尿病 or other conditions that put you at greater risk, it’s very important to work with your health care team and make lifestyle changes. Many conditions can be prevented or managed by eating better, 越来越活跃, losing weight and quitting tobacco. 

7.  吃药吧.

如果你有健康问题, your doctor may prescribe statins or other medications to help control cholesterol, 血糖和血压. 按医嘱服用所有药物. But don’t take aspirin as a preventive measure unless your doctor tells you to. If you’ve never had a heart attack or stroke, a daily aspirin may not help you at all and could cause problems including risk of bleeding. If you’ve had a heart attack or stroke, your doctor may want you to take a low dose of aspirin to reduce your risk of having another. 

8.  善于团队合作.

Your health care team can help you reduce your risk of heart disease or stroke to live a longer, 健康的生活. Work together on your prevention plan. 问问题, and be open about any challenges you may face in trying to make healthy changes. 压力, 睡眠, 心理健康, 家庭情况, 烟草的使用, 食品接触, social support and other issues all can affect your health and 幸福.
 

Live well today for a healthier tomorrow.

底线? Healthy living is the best way to delay or avoid many heart and brain diseases. 这意味着要积极和健康, 健康饮食, avoiding tobacco and managing conditions that can put you at greater risk. 为自己的健康负责. 加入“健康有益”获取建议, tools and inspiration to make changes and create healthy habits you can sustain throughout your life.