How to decrease your risk for a heart attack; the experts weigh in

Sunday, December 27, 2015 by: Julie Wilson staff writer
Tags: heart disease, heart attack risk, healthy living

Studies indicate that women usually wait more than six hours before seeking medical attention, while men wait five hours on average.

Improving Your Odds

• Smokers' risk of heart attack is more than twice that of nonsmokers.
• Cigarette smoking is the biggest risk factor for sudden cardiac death: smokers have two to four times the risk of nonsmokers.
• Smokers who have a heart attack are more likely to die and die suddenly (within an hour) than are nonsmokers.

• The risk of coronary heart disease rises as blood cholesterol levels increase.
• High blood pressure
• High blood pressure increases the heart's workload, causing the heart to enlarge and weaken over time.

• Regular, moderate-to-vigorous exercise plays a significant role in preventing heart and blood vessel disease.
• Exercise can help control blood cholesterol, diabetes and obesity as well as help to lower blood pressure in some people.
• Exercise is one of the best ways of raising HDL, or "good" cholesterol.

• People who have excess body fat are more likely to develop heart disease and stroke even if they have no other risk factors.
• Being overweight is directly linked to coronary heart disease because it influences blood pressure, blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and increases the risk of diabetes.

• Diabetes seriously increases the risk of developing cardiovascular disease.
• More than 80 percent of diabetics die of some form of heart or blood vessel disease.