Smoking is regarded as one of the most important risk factors for developing heart disease. Substances in tobacco can damage your heart and blood vessels, resulting in “atherosclerosis” (narrowing of the arteries). This, in turn, can lead to a heart attack.

No amount of smoking is safe. Heavy smokers have greater risk. All smoking habits (social smoking, smokeless tobacco and low-tar/low-nicotine cigarettes), including exposure to secondhand smoke increases the individuals risk to heart diseases. It is never too late to quit smoking. After quitting this habit for 5 years, one’s risk of developing heart disease falls to the level similar to that of a life-long non-smoker. In fact, immediately after you stop smoking, you start enjoying the rewards.

Regular exercises reduce the risk of heart disease. When this is combined with a healthy weight, the benefit is even more pronounced. This, in turn, helps to regulate a healthy blood pressure range, and substantially reduces the development of chronic diseases like diabetes and high cholesterol.

30 minutes of moderately intense physical activity most days of the week is the current recommended gold standard. This includes activities like walking on the treadmill, swimming, cycling or jogging. However, even shorter amounts of exercise offer heart benefits. So if you cannot meet those guidelines, do not give up. Three 10-minute sessions of workout most days of the week can also translate to similar heart benefits. It is more effective for an individual to build on the intensity and frequency of their exercise regime over a period of time than to engage in a one off strenuous session. In fact, daily chores like gardening and housekeeping are to be encouraged as they also count towards physical activities.

A healthy diet is pivotal in maintaining a healthy heart. Numerous studies have shown that a Mediterranean diet which is rich in fruits, vegetables and oily fish is associated with the lowest incidence of heart disease.

Limiting certain fats you eat also is important. Try to keep saturated fat to no more than 10% of your daily calories. And, try to keep trans-unsaturated fatty acids (trans fat) out of your diet altogether. If the nutrition label has the term “partially hydrogenated”, it means that product contains trans fat.

Major sources of saturated fat include:

• Red meat
• Dairy products
• Palm oils

Sources of trans fat and hydrogenated oils include:

• Deep-fried fast foods
• Bakery products
• Packaged snack foods
• Margarines
• Crackers
• Rapeseed oil
• Grapeseed oil
• Canola oil
• Peanut oil

It is important to understand that healthy fats from plant-based sources, such as coconut, avocado and olive oil, help your heart by lowering the bad type of cholesterol. Most people need to add more vegetables to their diet – with a goal of 5 to 10 servings a day. Eating that many vegetables not only help to prevent heart diseases but may also help prevent cancer and improve diabetes. Fish that is rich in Omega 3, such as salmon and mackerel, may decrease your risk of heart attack.

Consuming alcohol in moderation and alcohol of any kind – such as beer, red or white wine, or hard spirits – may help raise good cholesterol. If you do drink alcohol, know that the heart benefits only apply if you drink in moderation, which is defined as one serving per day for women and two per day for men. A serving of alcohol equates to

• 1 small bottle of beer (350ml)
• 1 glass of wine (150ml)
• 1 shot glass of hard spirits (30ml)

Being over-weight is a risk factor for heart disease. This affects the majority of people in the developed and developing nations.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), those having a high waist-hip ratio (WHR) may increase the risk of developing conditions that relate to being overweight, including heart disease.

This may be the case even if other measures of being overweight, such as body mass index (BMI) are in normal range.

Despite the important health problems related to obesity, when you lose the weight, that all starts to correct itself: Blood pressure comes down, glucose comes down, and “Good” cholesterol levels go up. One do not need to lose a drastic amount of weight to start reaping the heart benefits; it could be a matter of losing 7 kilogram, or 10% of your body weight. If you are struggling with your weight, talk to your doctor about what a healthy weight for your body should be, and how to start a nutritious diet and exercise program.

Laughter is the best medicine
Laughing is not just good medicine for the soul, it helps the heart too. Not only does laughing help diminish symptoms of stress, anxiety, anger and depression, all of which increase your chance of developing heart disease, but laughing has also been shown to have other effects that are good for your heart. Laughing is a great way to release tension, relax and naturally improve the function of your blood vessels to increase blood flow. All of this protects your heart by lowering your risk for heart attack or other cardiovascular problems. By making humor a regular part of your life, you can actually have a big impact on your own heart health.

Sleep is necessity, not a luxury
Disturbed sleep can trouble the heart. Prolonged sleep deprivation increases the risk of suffering from heart disease, including high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes, and heart failure. Most adults need seven to nine hours of sleep each night. If you wake up without your alarm clock and you feel refreshed, you are getting enough sleep. But, if you are constantly reaching for the snooze button and it is a struggle to get out of bed, you need better sleep each night. Make sleep a priority in your life. Set a sleep schedule and stick to it by going to bed and waking up at the same times each day. Keep your bedroom dark and quiet. Your brain produces Melatonin, a natural hormone which lets the body knows when it is time to sleep and wake up. Light exposure can impact the production of melatonin therefore keep your bedroom dark and quiet. A good night’s sleep is a necessity, not a luxury, for better cardiovascular and overall health.

There are 3 very important risk factors that predispose an individual to heart disease. They include high blood pressure, high cholesterol and Diabetes.

Blood Pressure

We all know that understanding blood pressure and maintaining healthy readings are important for our overall health and longevity. After all, it is one of the most talked about indicators of health, particularly when it comes to the heart. Keeping your blood pressure in the normal range is crucial in preventing complications, such as heart disease. If you have hypertension (high blood pressure) you should have your blood pressure checked by your doctor every month. If you do not have high blood pressure you should get your blood pressure checked at least once every year. However, as you get older your blood pressure is likely to increase and you should be checked more often. More frequent checks are necessary in the presence of other risk factors like obesity, diabetes and a strong family history of hypertension. Worryingly, you can have high blood pressure and not even know it – yet this silent condition is doing untold harm to your body. Knowing your numbers is the only way to find out for sure if your blood pressure readings fall within the optimal range. To ensure accurate results and the safest actions for your heart health, ALWAYS discuss your readings and health conditions with your doctor.

Cholesterol Levels

Your cholesterol levels can tell you important information about your heart health—which you may not know otherwise unless you get that test done. That is because high cholesterol often doesn’t cause any symptoms until something serious like a heart attack occurs. Most adults should measure their cholesterol levels at least once every year. There are 2 important parameters in the evaluation of cholesterol. People with a family history of high cholesterol—or if they develop high blood pressure or diabetes should have their levels checked more often. But it is important that you maintain regular check-ins with your doctor, even if your results come back fine. Current guidelines for cholesterol-lowering treatment depend on your overall heart risk score—not just your levels on one particular test.

• Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL) frequently known as the bad cholesterol has a very strong association with the development of coronary disease.
• High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL) also known as the good cholesterol shows the favourable effects by reducing the fat deposits on the blood vessel wall

Diabetes Screening

Since diabetes is a risk factor for developing heart disease, you may want to consider being screened for diabetes. Talk to your doctor about when you should have a fasting blood sugars test to check for diabetes. Depending on your risk factors, such as being overweight or having a family history of diabetes, your doctor may recommend early screening for diabetes. If your weight is normal and you do not have other risk factors for type 2 diabetes, the American Diabetes Association recommends starting screening at age 45, and then re-testing every three years. After completing a physical examination and blood tests, your doctor may order additional non-invasive tests. Non-invasive means the tests don’t involve tools that break the skin or physically enter the body.