Coronary Heart Disease – Prevention

Whether you refer to it as coronary heart disease (CHD) or coronary artery disease (CAD), this often crippling illness is the most common heart disease in the western world. For some, risk factors such as family history make the disease seem inescapable.

Preventative Steps for Coronary Heart Disease

Preventative steps can be taken, however. The following is not intended to be an exhaustive list, but rather an introduction. You will want to discuss each with your physician.

* Diabetes – Diabetes is a coronary heart disease risk factor that can be controlled with medication. Weight loss can also help.

* Hypertension - High blood pressure, another real risk for coronary heart disease, can be controlled with medications. If you are overweight, exercise and diet will not only trim your figure, but will also reduce blood pressure.

* Cholesterol - Change your diet and exercise to reduce this risk of coronary heart disease.

* Obesity – Again, exercise and diet are powerful preventative steps toward avoiding or reducing your risk of coronary heart disease. Ask your physician what your ideal weight should be, and get there.

* Smoking - Whether you or someone with whom you live is the smoker, you will prevent coronary heart disease by eliminating nicotine.

* Nutrition - A big preventative step for coronary heart disease is to enrich your diet with omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin C. Ask your doctor what other nutritional needs you may have.

You cannot prevent family history from giving you a tendency toward coronary heart disease. Nor can you drink from a fountain of youth and turn back the clock to a day when you were less at risk.

You can, however, take steps to prevent heart disease. If you are serious about doing so, we strongly recommend that you read our review of the excellent e-book on preventing and reversing heart disease.

In another article on this site, we will look at symptoms of coronary heart disease. Please remember that this information is meant for educational purposes only. You should have regular physical checkups, and discuss any symptoms with your physician.