Prevent Heart Disease

Calibrate Lifestyle
Oct 30, 2020
2 min read

No matter your age, gender, or ethnicity it’s never too early to think about heart disease prevention!

In 2019, the American Heart Association (AHA) updated their guidelines on PRIMARY* prevention strategies to reduce the risk of ️hear disease — just remember your ABCDE’s:

*Note: Primary prevention means these strategies are recommended for those WITHOUT known cardiovascular disease. You should consult with your doctor about specific management strategies individualized to your health condition. Be sure to review your family history of heart disease and your personal risk profile with your doctor.

A: Aspirin used to be recommended for primary prevention in those 40-75yrs at risk for developing heart disease; however, new evidence showed lack of benefit, therefore aspirin is no longer recommended routinely but rather only in select high-risk patients.

B: Blood pressure should be maintained <130/80mmHg. Hypertension (HTN) is a leading risk factor for heart disease — luckily it can be controlled with lifestyle +/- meds.

C: Cholesterol and Cigarettes are 2 risk factors that increase atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). There are 2 ASCVD risk calculators — the ACC 10-yr ASCVD risk calculator and the MESA calculator — can predict future risk of developing ASCVD based on your health profile (age, gender, smoking, HTN, DM, lipid panel, calcium score). Smoking is a leading killer — it increases the risk of heart disease, cancer and lung disease. Talk to your doctor about adjunctive medications and therapy to help you quit. Counsel your family and friends to never start and quit too!

D: Diet and Diabetes (DM) are risk factors for the development of heart disease. Studies show that the Mediterranean diet reduces inflammation, helps maintain healthy weight/blood sugar, improves ️health, reduce cognitive decline and risk for cancer.

E: Exercise is key to reduce risk for heart disease. Guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise per week or at least 75 minutes of vigorous intensity exercise per week to reduce cardiovascular risk. See post ‘Sweat Now Shine Later’ on tips to jumpstart your exercise routine.