Welcome to post number five in our “7 Steps to a Healthier Heart” series! Just a couple weeks left! Over the last few weeks, we dived into simple, science-backed changes you can make to protect your most vital organ: your heart. Heart disease remains the #1 cause of death globally, but the good news is, many of the risk factors are within your control.
Sarah Bush Lincoln Cardiologist B. Lakshmi, MD, explains how to prevent a heart attack, highlights the best noninvasive screenings to assess heart risk and emphasizes the importance of family history in heart disease.
Lower Cholesterol
Lowering your cholesterol is particularly important if you have vascular or coronary artery disease. Lowering cholesterol, especially LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, is crucial for heart health, and it becomes even more urgent if you have vascular disease or coronary artery disease (CAD).
These conditions mean your arteries have already been affected by plaque buildup, which can reduce blood flow and increase your risk for heart attack, stroke or other serious complications. Because LDL cholesterol is a major contributor to this plaque, lowering it can help prevent further damage.
In people with vascular or coronary artery disease, the goal is to lower LDL cholesterol aggressively. This usually involves a combination of lifestyle changes and medications, such as statins or newer cholesterol-lowering drugs. Check out our other blog for tips on lifestyle changes and different medications.
Lowering LDL doesn’t just manage a number, it reduces the risk of future heart events, slows plaque progression and can even help stabilize existing plaque, making it less likely to rupture and cause a heart attack.
Family History with Heart Disease
Family history is an important factor in determining heart disease risk. Inherited conditions, such as high cholesterol or familial hypercholesterolemia, can increase the likelihood of developing heart disease. Additionally, if close family members experienced heart disease at a young age, this can heighten your own risk. Many families share similar lifestyle habits, including diet and exercise patterns, which can influence heart health. Understanding your family history helps guide early detection, allowing for more proactive monitoring of blood pressure and cholesterol.
If you or any member of your family has a history of heart disease, you should talk seriously with your provider about having your calcium levels checked, and participating in the SBL Heart-2-Heart Program.
Please note the information in this blog is not a subsite for medical care. You should always consult your doctor for more details.
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