How to Prevent Heart Disease: Steps That Research Supports

The best way to learn how to prevent heart disease is to focus on the habits and numbers linked to lower risk: not smoking, regular activity, a heart-healthy diet, a healthy weight, good sleep, and healthy blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar. You cannot change your age or family history, but a healthy lifestyle may offset a large share of that risk.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, and about 805,000 Americans have a heart attack each year, according to the CDC. Early disease often causes no symptoms, so prevention depends on knowing your numbers as well as your habits. This guide covers what works, which tests can find hidden risk, and where to get care at Next Health in Ashburn, VA and Bethesda, MD.

Key Takeaways

• Much heart disease can be prevented or delayed, but age, sex, and family history cannot be changed.
• The American Heart Association’s Life’s Essential 8 is a simple checklist: diet, activity, nicotine, sleep, weight, cholesterol, blood sugar, and blood pressure.
• Adults need about 150 minutes of moderate activity a week, plus muscle strengthening on 2 or more days.
• Quitting smoking lowers risk quickly: the added risk of coronary heart disease is about half that of a smoker’s after 1 year.
• A healthy lifestyle was associated with a 46 percent lower relative risk of coronary events in people with high genetic risk.
• High blood pressure and high cholesterol often cause no symptoms, so regular testing matters more than waiting for warning signs.

Can heart disease be prevented?

Much of it can be prevented or delayed, but not all of it. You can control smoking, blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, weight, and activity, while age, sex, and family history stay fixed. Cleveland Clinic notes that healthy habits, medicines, and procedures can prevent or treat most forms of heart disease.

Prevention matters because warning signs are often missing. The World Heart Federation notes that for many people the first sign of cardiovascular disease is a heart attack or stroke. That is why checking your numbers early is part of prevention, not an optional extra.

How to prevent heart disease: which habits matter most?

The most useful checklist is the American Heart Association’s Life’s Essential 8, which covers eight areas of cardiovascular health (AHA advisory, 2022). Together, they cover both behaviors and measurements:

1. Eat a heart-healthy diet
2. Be physically active
3. Avoid nicotine and tobacco
4. Get healthy sleep
5. Keep a healthy weight
6. Keep cholesterol in a healthy range
7. Keep blood sugar in a healthy range
8. Keep blood pressure in a healthy range

You do not need to change everything at once. Start with the one or two areas that are furthest from target, and ask your doctor which of your numbers need attention first.

What are the main risk factors for heart disease?

The main risk factors are smoking, low activity, a poor diet, extra body weight, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, poor sleep, and ongoing stress. Some risks cannot be changed, and knowing the difference helps you focus your effort.

Risk factors you cannot change:

• Your age
• Your sex
• A family history of heart disease

Risk factors you can control:

• Smoking or other tobacco use
• Low activity and a poor diet
• Extra body weight
• High blood pressure and high cholesterol
• Diabetes or high blood sugar
• Poor sleep and ongoing stress

How much exercise do you need to prevent heart disease?

Adults need 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity a week, or 75 minutes of vigorous activity, or an equal mix, plus muscle strengthening activities on 2 or more days, according to the CDC’s adult guidelines (CDC). That can be 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week.

Moderate activity means you can talk but not sing, such as brisk walking. If you are starting from zero, some activity is better than none, and the 150 minutes can be split into shorter sessions. Gardening, taking the stairs, and walking the dog all count toward your total.

What should you eat to prevent heart disease?

Build meals around vegetables, fruits, beans, whole grains, fish, and healthy fats such as olive oil, and limit saturated fat, added sugar, and sodium. Healthcare providers often recommend the Mediterranean diet because of the evidence supporting it for heart health. The DASH eating plan, which was designed to lower blood pressure, is another well-studied pattern.

Foods and drinks to cut back on include salty packaged foods, sugary drinks, refined carbohydrates, trans fat found in fried fast food and packaged baked goods, and alcohol. Extra weight, especially around the middle, can raise blood pressure, cholesterol, and diabetes risk. If weight is a barrier, our medical weight loss program offers physician-guided support.

Does quitting smoking really lower your risk of heart disease?

Yes. Using data from the 2004 Surgeon General’s report, the CDC reports that heart attack risk begins to drop within 2 weeks to 3 months after quitting, the added risk of coronary heart disease is about half that of a smoker’s after 1 year, and after 15 years it matches a nonsmoker’s (CDC).

Tobacco chemicals damage the heart and blood vessels, so all tobacco products matter, not only cigarettes. If you do not smoke, avoid secondhand smoke too. Your doctor can help you choose a quit plan, and the benefits start whenever you stop.

Can you prevent heart disease if it runs in your family?

You can often lower your risk, though you cannot erase it. In a 2016 analysis of 55,685 people, those at high genetic risk who followed a favorable lifestyle had a 46 percent lower relative risk of coronary events than those with an unfavorable lifestyle (Khera et al., 2016).

A favorable lifestyle in that study meant at least three of four habits: not smoking, not being obese, regular activity, and a healthy diet. Because the findings come from observational data, they show association, not a guarantee. Tell your doctor about any family history, since screening sometimes starts earlier for people with a strong family history.

Which numbers should you know for heart health?

Know your blood pressure, your cholesterol, and your blood sugar, because high blood pressure and high cholesterol usually cause no symptoms. The American Heart Association classes blood pressure under 120/80 mmHg as ideal, and non HDL cholesterol under 130 mg/dL as ideal, as summarized by Brown University Health.

Diabetes involves ongoing high blood sugar and raises heart disease risk over time. A functional medicine approach often looks at metabolic markers before standard diabetes screening flags a problem, and your doctor may suggest earlier screening if you carry extra weight or have a family history of diabetes.

How often you need testing depends on your age, family history, and past results, so ask your doctor for a schedule. A yearly visit is a good place to review these numbers, and our guide to longevity testing vs annual physical explains what a routine visit does and does not cover.

What tests can find hidden heart disease risk early?

Blood pressure, a cholesterol panel, and blood sugar are the foundation, and some people may benefit from additional testing. The 2019 ACC and AHA primary prevention guideline lists lipoprotein(a) and apolipoprotein B among risk-enhancing factors. It also supports using a coronary artery calcium score to inform treatment decisions for intermediate-risk adults when the decision to start a statin is uncertain (ACC and AHA guideline summary).

Whether these tests make sense for you depends on your age, family history, and results. At Next Health, our heart disease prevention program looks deeper than a standard checkup, including inflammation, cholesterol particle size, and insulin resistance, to help find hidden risk factors earlier. For people with a more complex cardiac picture, the Advanced Cardiac Program is also available.

Do sleep and stress affect heart disease risk?

They appear to. The American Heart Association added sleep health to its cardiovascular health checklist in 2022, and Johns Hopkins Medicine notes that stress increases hormone levels and inflammation that can contribute to cardiovascular disease.

If you sleep enough hours but still feel tired, ask your doctor about sleep apnea. Warning signs include loud snoring, pauses in breathing, and waking up gasping. Our sleep issues page covers care options, and our guide to improving mood and energy covers everyday stress habits such as exercise, deep breathing, and meditation.

Where does Next Health offer heart disease prevention care?

Next Health offers heart disease prevention care at two locations and serves the wider DMV area, including Washington DC, Maryland, and Northern Virginia. Dr. Habib’s team can review your risk factors and decide which testing fits you. You can also start with a free discovery call or read more about Dr. Habib.

Ashburn, VA

• 44121 Leesburg Pike, Suite #115, Ashburn, VA 20147
• Phone: 703.724.4000

Bethesda, MD

• 5101 River Road, Suite #106, Bethesda, MD 20816
• Phone: 703.724.4000

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you reverse heart disease?

Established heart disease usually cannot be fully reversed, but treatment and lifestyle changes can slow it and lower the chance of a heart attack. Your doctor can explain what is realistic for your situation.

What are the early signs of heart disease?

Often there are none. For many people, the first sign is a heart attack or stroke, which is why screening matters. Call 911 right away for chest pain or pressure, shortness of breath, or other symptoms that may signal a heart attack.

At what age should you start screening for heart disease?

Blood pressure and cholesterol checks typically begin in early adulthood, and sooner if you have risk factors or a family history. Your doctor can set a schedule based on your health.

Do women need to prevent heart disease differently?

The core steps are the same for women and men, and heart disease is the leading cause of death for both in the United States. Ask your doctor whether any other factors in your history should change your plan.

Sources

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Heart disease facts. https://www.cdc.gov/heart-disease/data-research/facts-stats/index.html
• Cleveland Clinic. Heart disease: symptoms and causes. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/24129-heart-disease
• World Heart Federation. Cardiovascular disease prevention. https://world-heart-federation.org/what-we-do/prevention/
• Lloyd Jones DM, et al. Life’s Essential 8: updating and enhancing the American Heart Association’s construct of cardiovascular health. Circulation, 2022. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10503546
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Adding physical activity as an adult. https://www.cdc.gov/physical-activity-basics/adding-adults/
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Within 20 minutes of quitting (2004 Surgeon General’s report). https://archive.cdc.gov/www_cdc_gov/tobacco/sgr/2004/posters/20mins/index.htm
• Khera AV, et al. Genetic risk, adherence to a healthy lifestyle, and coronary disease. New England Journal of Medicine, 2016. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5338864
• Coronary artery calcium staging to guide preventive interventions (summarizing the 2019 ACC and AHA primary prevention guideline). https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11462328
• Brown University Health. Life’s Essential 8: improve your heart health and more. https://www.brownhealth.org/be-well/lifes-essential-8-improve-your-heart-health-and-more
• Johns Hopkins Medicine. Preventing cardiovascular diseases. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/preventing-cardiovascular-diseases
• Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. Keep your heart healthy (MyHealthfinder). https://odphp.health.gov/myhealthfinder/health-conditions/heart-health/keep-your-heart-healthy

This article is for general education and is not medical advice; talk with a licensed physician before making health decisions, and individual results vary.