Knowing what causes heart disease and how you can prevent it can help you live a longer,
healthier life. Take this quiz to find out more about lowering your risk for heart
disease.
1. There's nothing you can do to prevent heart disease.
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Healthy
adults can reduce their risk for heart disease and a heart attack by staying at a
healthy weight (a body mass index of less than 25), getting enough exercise (150 minutes
of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity each week
),
having regular medical checkups, taking prescribed medicines, and choosing healthy
habits (not smoking, no excessive alcohol, controlling stress). Meet with your doctor
at
least once a year, or more often if you have health concerns. This is to make sure
you
are on top of your health and heart disease prevention.
2. Smokers are more likely to have heart disease than nonsmokers.
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Smokers who smoke 1 pack per day are more than twice as likely as nonsmokers to have
a heart attack, according to the American Heart Association (AHA). Smoking is one
of the strongest preventable risk factors for heart disease. Talk with your doctor
today about how to quit.
3. Some risk factors for heart disease can't be changed.
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They
include gender (adults with a penis have a higher risk for early heart attack), age
(your risk of heart attack increases as you get older), and family (you have an
increased risk if your father or mother had heart disease). These are out of your
control, but making changes to your lifestyle is a big part of preventing heart disease.
4. You have to exercise at least 1 hour a day to reduce your risk for heart disease.
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Getting
150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity each week is tied to good health.
This can also help you reduce your risk for heart disease. This physical activity
can be
done in 30- to 40-minute chunks on most days of the week. Good choices are walking,
cycling, and swimming. You can also choose activities you enjoy such as dancing and
aerobics.
5. Drinking 3 to 4 alcoholic drinks each day can reduce your risk for heart disease.
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Adults
with a penis should not have more than 2 drinks a day. Adults with a vagina should
limit
themselves to 1 drink a day. If you do not already drink, you should not start drinking
in order to lower your risk for heart disease. Other lifestyle changes can help with
that.
6. High blood pressure can put your heart at risk.
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Your heart must work harder than normal when your blood pressure is high. When this
occurs over a long time, the heart can enlarge and arteries can become scarred and
hardened. This can lead to increased risk for heart disease and even a heart attack.
7. An average of 100,000 Americans die from cardiovascular
disease every year.
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Nearly
half of all adults in the U.S. have some form of cardiovascular disease. This includes
heart disease, heart failure, stroke, and high blood pressure. More than 500,000
deaths
each year are related to cardiovascular disease, according to the AHA. More people
die
from cardiovascular disease than from all cancers and chronic lung disease combined.
8. Someone who has had a heart attack is at increased risk of having another.
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Some
people ages 45 and older who survive a first heart attack are at increased risk of
having another heart attack in the next 5 years.
9. You can't exercise if you have heart disease.
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Moderate exercise approved by your healthcare provider plays an important role in
controlling the disease. Talk with your provider about an exercise plan that is right
for you. You may need to be in a cardiac rehab (rehabilitation) program if you have
already had a heart attack.
10. Being overweight increases your risk for heart disease.
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Your risk increases if you're overweight. This is because being overweight increases
your risk for high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol. These conditions
also increase the risk for heart disease.
11. Young adults with a vagina have the same risk for heart
disease as young adults with a penis.
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Estrogen provides younger adults with a vagina some protection against heart disease.
But that protection is lost after menopause, when adults with a vagina have roughly
the
same risk as adults with a penis.
12. Emotions don't affect your risk for heart disease.
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Research shows a link between heart disease and high levels of stress and hostility.
Stress increases hormone levels. These put higher demands on the heart.
13. Your diet doesn't affect your risk for heart disease.
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The
food you eat has a direct impact on 3 major risk factors for heart disease: weight,
blood pressure, and blood cholesterol. It's important to understand the relationship
that these all have to prevent heart disease. Talk with your healthcare provider if
you
have questions.
14. No tests can diagnose coronary heart disease.
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A
treadmill test (or exercise stress test) can help diagnose atherosclerosis, or the
narrowing of the heart's arteries. Other tests include a radionucleotide myocardial
perfusion stress test. This can also help diagnose a narrowing of the arteries in
your
heart. But the gold standard test is a cardiac catheterization (coronary angiogram).
This test lets your healthcare provider see any blockages in your heart's arteries.