Prevention
Cardiovascular disease cannot be prevented in every case. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the following measures may help to reduce the risk for the condition:
- Do not smoke.
- See your health care provider regularly. Ask your physician about vitamin supplements that may help prevent heart disease.
- Eat a well-balanced, low-fat, low-cholesterol diet that includes several servings of fruits and vegetables daily.
- Exercise regularly. Short, frequent sessions of exercise are preferable to a complete sedentary lifestyle.
- Control blood pressure.
- Maintain weight appropriate for your frame and build.
- Manage stress.
For more information about preventing heart disease in women, please go to the American Heart Association's Go Red for Women campaign.
Physician-developed and -monitored.
Original Date of Publication: 10 Feb 2006
Reviewed by: Karen Larson, M.D., Stanley J. Swierzewski, III, M.D.
Last Reviewed: 10 Feb 2006
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