How to prevent coronary artery disease

Knowing how to prevent coronary artery disease (CAD) is vital. Coronary artery disease is 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 types of coronary artery disease prevention: primary and secondary. Primary prevention focuses on lowering your risk factors for coronary artery disease. Secondary prevention focuses on controlling coronary artery disease to reduce your risk of complications.

Whether you need primary or secondary prevention strategies, Aurora Health Care cardiologists provide a full range of treatment options to help you live well.

Reduce your risk factors for coronary heart disease

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

The good news is that even if you have uncontrollable risk factors, you can still lower your overall risk of developing coronary artery disease.

Choose a healthy lifestyle

Lifestyle changes may include exercising more, changing your diet or reducing stress, to name a few. Improving your lifestyle is one of the most important ways to reduce your risk of coronary artery disease.

Eat a heart-healthy diet

You’ve probably heard the saying: An apple a day keeps the doctor away. There’s more truth to that than you may realize. Eating an apple – or any fruit – every day may help keep heart disease at bay.

Research has shown that people who have a daily serving of fruit 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, your provider may also recommend:

• DASH diet: The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet may treat or prevent high blood pressure. It focuses on decreasing sodium and increasing your intake of vegetables, fruits and whole grains.
• Mediterranean diet: The Mediterranean diet is one of the best eating plans to improve heart health. It focuses on 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 and olive oil as your main fat intake.
• Ornish diet: The Ornish diet limits fat, refined carbohydrates and animal sources of protein. But the diet is just one branch of the Ornish Lifestyle Medicine Program. The Ornish program also emphasizes exercise, stress reduction and social support to prevent and reduce the effects of heart disease.

Exercise

Aerobic exercise is key to improving cardiovascular health and lowering your risk of coronary artery 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 heart health benefits, make sure you’re getting your heart rate up. Activities such as walking, swimming, biking or hiking are all good choices for boosting heart health.

Maintain a healthy weight

Carrying excess weight can put extra pressure on your blood vessels, making them work harder to send blood throughout your body. Exercise and portion control are two ways to achieve and maintain a healthy weight.

If you haven’t reached your ideal weight through diet and exercise, 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 coronary artery disease risk, sleep isn’t a luxury – it’s a necessity. One study showed that people who got six hours of sleep or less each night had an increased risk of atherosclerosis. Additionally, people with poor sleep quality had a higher risk of plaque buildup and artery narrowing.

Improve your sleep quantity and quality by:

• Establishing a nighttime routine, such as bathing, meditating or listening to music before bed
• Exercising for at least 10 minutes daily, preferably two hours or more before bedtime
• Limiting screen use, including phones, tablets and television, for at least 60 minutes before bed
• Lowering the temperature in your bedroom
• Maintaining consistent bedtimes and wake-up times
• Striving for seven to eight hours of sleep per night

Quit smoking

Smoking constricts your blood vessels, forcing your heart to work even harder to pump blood. Quitting smoking or vaping is one of the best ways to lower your risk of coronary artery disease and improve your overall health.

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 you start experiencing health benefits the same day you quit.

Monitor your heart health

Regular checkups improve your chances of detecting coronary artery disease in the early stages, when it’s easier to treat. And your provider can help you understand your coronary artery disease risk factors, which is crucial for lowering your chances of developing CAD.

Know your numbers

Some health markers directly affect your cardiovascular health. It’s important to know your numbers for your:

• Blood pressure: Blood pressure measures the pressure of blood against your artery walls, both during a heartbeat and when your heart rests between beats. Experts define normal blood pressure as less than 120/80 mmHg. If your blood pressure is consistently above normal, your risk increases for coronary artery disease.
• Body mass index (BMI): BMI is a way to measure body fat using your height and weight. A high BMI can elevate your risk of several 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 health risks.
• Cholesterol: Cholesterol is a fatty substance in your bloodstream. If you have too much of it, it can build up in your arteries and lead to 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.

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. A simple scan could prevent a heart attack and even 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 you can take steps to prevent it from worsening. Your doctor may recommend lifestyle changes or medications to improve your heart health and help you live a healthier life.

Choosing a healthy lifestyle

The same lifestyle changes that help prevent coronary artery disease can also help you control it. Your diet, exercise, sleep habits and smoking all affect your heart health.

Your health care provider can give you a personalized plan to improve your lifestyle. For example, cardiac rehabilitation may help you increase your cardiovascular health through safe exercise.

Coronary artery disease medications

Your provider may prescribe medicines to reduce plaque buildup, lower cholesterol or decrease your blood pressure.

Many people with coronary artery disease benefit from taking daily low-dose aspirin. Aspirin can help prevent blood clots and reduce your risk of emergency 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 the right treatment for you.