Lower Heart Attack Risk — Acme Corp Wellness

Follow your health care provider’s advice for lifestyle measures and medicines that help control:

• Blood pressure

• Blood clots from forming

• Cholesterol and triglycerides

• Diabetes

• Heart failure, heart rhythm, and other heart problems

Steps to Lower Heart Attack Risk

Avoid secondhand smoke. If you use tobacco, quit.
Losing just 5-10 percent of your body weight can lower the risk for a heart attack.
Sit less and move more. Aim for 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity activity.
Eat plenty of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. Choose low-fat dairy (or plant-based), fish, beans, and lentils. Use healthy oils such as olive, canola, avocado, nuts, and seeds. Limit saturated fats, processed meats, added sugars and sugary drinks, and sodium (salt).
Learn healthy ways to manage stress, such as exercising, practicing relaxation techniques, and spending time with friends and family.
If you don’t drink, don’t start. Or, limit yourself to two drinks a day (men) or one drink a day (women or 65+).
Talk to your healthcare provider if you have signs of sleep apnea – loud snoring or snorting during sleep, repeated periods when breathing stops 10 or more seconds during sleep, and extreme daytime sleepiness.

A heart attack happens when the heart does not get enough blood supply for a period of time. Plaque build-up and a blood clot in one or more heart arteries is often the cause.

Heart disease can be more common in Veterans who:

• Served in the Gulf War

• Were exposed to Agent Orange in Vietnam

• Have posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

• Smoke

• Have diabetes and/or high blood pressure

• Are overweight and/or not very active