How to prevent coronary artery disease

Knowing how to prevent coronary artery disease (CAD) is crucial. After all, it’s the most common type of heart disease in the U.S. And heart disease is the leading cause of death in both males and females.

There are two main aspects of coronary artery disease prevention:

• Primary prevention is lowering your risk of developing coronary artery disease.
• Secondary prevention is controlling coronary artery disease to reduce your risk of complications.

Whether you are focused on primary or secondary prevention, Advocate Health Care cardiologists provide a full array of treatment options to help manage coronary artery disease.

Reduce your risk factors for coronary heart disease

The key to preventing coronary artery disease is knowing and reducing your risk factors. There are two types of coronary artery disease risk factors: uncontrollable ones, such as your family history or age, and controllable ones, such as your diet and exercise habits.

Fortunately, even if you have uncontrollable risk factors, an overall healthy lifestyle reduces your chances of developing heart disease.

Choose a healthy lifestyle

Lifestyle changes may include changing to a CAD healthy diet as well as increasing exercise habits or getting enough sleep. Improving your lifestyle can improve your heart health and reduce your coronary artery disease risk.

Eat a heart-healthy diet for CAD

You’ve probably heard the adage: An apple a day keeps the doctor away. The saying is truer than you may realize. An apple – or any fruit – may help keep heart disease away.

Research has shown that people who eat fruit every day have significantly lower blood pressure than those who don’t eat fruit at all. They also have:

• 15 percent lower risk of a heart attack
• 25 percent lower risk of an ischemic stroke
• 40 percent lower risk of a hemorrhagic stroke

Besides getting your daily servings of fruit, you may also want to try a heart-healthy diet such as:

• DASH diet: Your health care provider may recommend the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet to treat or prevent high blood pressure. The DASH diet focuses on lowering your sodium intake and eating lots of vegetables, fruits and whole grains.
• Mediterranean diet: The American Heart Association recommends the Mediterranean diet as one of the best ways of eating to improve heart health. The diet emphasizes plant-based and minimally processed foods. To follow a Mediterranean diet, eat lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, potatoes, beans, nuts and seeds. Eat moderate amounts of dairy products, eggs, fish and poultry, with olive oil as your main source of fat.
• Ornish diet: The Ornish diet emphasizes limiting fat, refined carbohydrates and animal sources of protein. But the diet is just one branch of the Ornish Lifestyle Medicine Program to help reduce or reverse the effects of heart disease. The Ornish program also encourages exercise, stress management and social support.
• Coronary heart disease

Exercise

Moving your body is one of the best ways to improve your cardiovascular health and lower your risk of heart disease. The American Heart Association recommends getting at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity each week or 75 minutes of vigorous activity.

For optimal benefits, make sure you’re getting your heart rate up when you exercise. Aerobic activities, such as walking, swimming, biking or hiking, are all good choices.

Maintain a healthy weight

Carrying excess weight can put extra pressure on your blood vessels, which increases your risk of coronary artery disease. Controlling portion sizes and exercising regularly are two keys to maintaining a healthy body weight.

If you need help achieving a healthy weight, you may benefit from working with a health care provider. Our medical weight loss and bariatric surgery services can help you control your weight when traditional methods haven’t worked.

Get enough rest

When it comes to your heart health, sleep isn’t a luxury – it’s a necessity. According to one study, people who get six hours of sleep or less each night have an increased risk of atherosclerosis. People with poor sleep quality also had a higher risk of plaque buildup.

Improve your sleep quantity and quality by:

• Aiming for seven to eight hours of sleep per night
• Avoiding screens, such as phones, tablets and televisions for at least an hour before bed
• Going to bed at the same time each night and getting up at the same time each morning
• Exercising for at least 10 minutes a day, preferably at least two hours or more before bedtime
• Lowering the temperature in your bedroom
• Setting up a nighttime routine, such as listening to music, taking a warm bath or reading

Quit smoking

Smoking narrows your blood vessels and forces your heart to work even harder. And research has shown that using e-cigarettes, or vaping, also increases coronary artery disease risk. Quitting smoking or vaping is one of the best ways to improve your heart health and lower your risk of coronary artery disease.

Quitting smoking isn’t easy, but you don’t have to do it alone. A smoking cessation program can help you successfully quit smoking and immediately improve your overall health.

Monitor your heart health

Regular health checks improve your chances of diagnosing coronary artery disease in the early stages, when it’s easier to treat. Your health care provider can also help you understand your risks of coronary artery disease, which lowers your chances of developing CAD.

Know your numbers

Certain health markers play a vital role in your heart health. It’s important to know your numbers for your:

• Blood pressure: Blood pressure measures the pressure of blood against your artery walls, both when your heart beats and when it rests between beats. Experts define normal blood pressure as less than 120/80 mmHg. Blood pressure consistently above the normal range increases your risk of heart disease.
• Body mass index (BMI): BMI is a calculation of body fat based on your height and weight. A high BMI can increase your risk of health problems, including coronary artery disease. If your BMI is above 25, you may speak with your health care provider about losing weight and managing your overall risk.
• Cholesterol: Cholesterol is a waxy substance in your bloodstream. If you have too much of it, it can build up in your arteries, leading to atherosclerosis and eventually coronary artery disease. Adults should aim to keep total cholesterol under 200 mg/dl. Ideally, you’ll also keep your LDL or “bad” cholesterol below 130 mg/dl and your HDL or “good” cholesterol above 60 mg/dl.

Dr. Vineet Dandekar, cardiologist with Advocate Health Care, explains it this way: “As you get older, almost by definition, your risk of heart disease increases. But if you’re able to control key factors – cholesterol, body mass index (BMI) and blood pressure – then you can reduce your risk of cardiac disease.”

Know your heart health

If you have multiple risk factors for coronary artery disease, your health care provider may recommend a heart scan. A heart scan is a noninvasive test that checks for signs of narrowed or blocked arteries.

Our heart tests are quick and inexpensive – and they could even prevent a heart attack and save your life. Learn more about our $49 heart scans.

Controlling coronary heart disease

If you’ve already been diagnosed with coronary artery disease, the good news is that there are many steps you can take to keep it from worsening. Lifestyle changes and medications can help you control coronary artery disease and live a healthier life.

Choose a healthy lifestyle

The same lifestyle tips for preventing coronary artery disease can also help you control it. Eating healthy foods, exercising, getting enough quality sleep and quitting or avoiding smoking are all changes you can make to improve your heart health.

Your health care provider can offer you personalized recommendations to incorporate lifestyle changes safely. For example, cardiac rehabilitation may help improve your cardiovascular health through safe exercise.

Coronary artery disease (CAD) medications

Your provider may prescribe medicines to treat CAD and reduce plaque buildup, decrease cholesterol or lower your blood pressure. Many people benefit from daily low-dose aspirin therapy.

Aspirin can help prevent blood clots and reduce your risk of heart disease complications such as a heart attack or stroke. Speak with your health care provider to find out if low-dose aspirin or other medications are right for you.