When Heart Disease Runs in Your Family, Here Are 10 Steps to Take

A severe health issue is heart disease. In the US, it is the main cause of mortality for people. In fact, heart disease was the cause of 1 in 5 fatalities in the United States in 2020, according to a reliable source.

You have no control over some heart disease risk factors, such as your age or family history. Others, like your nutrition or activity level, are things you can control. Maintaining a heart-healthy lifestyle and keeping track of your health may help to safeguard your heart.

Here are 10 steps you may do to lessen your risk of having a heart attack or stroke if your family has a history of the condition.

1. Recognize your own and your family's dangers.

A problem with one or more of your genes can result in some types of heart disease. Heart conditions that can be inherited or handed down via families include:

certain heart rhythms, such as long QT syndrome

various cardiomyopathies, including arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

family history of high cholesterol

Knowing and discussing your family's medical history with your doctor is crucial. Find out if your kin has heart disease, how old they were when they got the diagnosis, and when they had a cardiac incident.

As sudden cardiac death might be tied to events like vehicle accidents or drowning, be sure to inform your doctor of any family members who passed away unexpectedly.

Take into account the following personal heart disease risk factors:

in years

your natural sex

it's a race

your size

your triglyceride levels

how high is your blood pressure

whether or not you own type 2 diabetes

regardless of smoking

whether you consume alcohol, if so, how much.

Once you are aware of your risks, you can talk to your primary care physician or cardiologist about them.

2. Discuss genetic tests with your doctor.

For some inherited types of cardiac illness, such as cardiomyopathy and arrhythmias, genetic testing is possible. These examinations look for the gene alterations that result in these illnesses using a sample of your blood or saliva.

If you exhibit signs of an inherited cardiac issue or have relatives who have the disease, your doctor can advise genetic testing. Your test findings will aid in determining whether you need to consider therapy.

A genetic counselor can explain your family's medical history and the findings of genetic testing to you. They can also inform your kids about your risk of passing on heart disease.

3. Consume heart-healthy food.

Even if you are at a high risk due to your family history, following a heart-healthy diet can lower your risk of developing heart disease. More so than others, some diets are healthy for your heart. Heart disease is a result of eating foods that are heavy in saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, sugar, and salt.

Foods that are healthy for your heart include:

Veggies and fruits

Oats, barley, brown rice, quinoa, fish, low-fat dairy products, nuts, and seeds are examples of whole grains.

oils with reduced saturated fat content, including canola and olive oil

The following diets, which incorporate these items, have been demonstrated to support heart health:

Mediterranean-style diet

DASH diet TLC diet, vegetarian and vegan diets

4. Include extra exercise in your day.

The risks of genetic heart disease can be reduced through exercise. Despite having a hereditary predisposition to heart disease, persons who were more physically active had a lower risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke, according to a sizable 2018 study conducted in the United Kingdom.

The benefits of exercise for the heart include:

bringing down blood pressure

lowering LDL ("bad") cholesterol assisting with weight loss assisting with improved insulin sensitivity in your cells

The American Heart Association (AHA) advises engaging in 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise or 75 minutes per week of vigorous aerobic activity.

Your heart benefits from strength training too. According to one study, lifting weights for less than an hour every week reduced the risk of heart attack or stroke by 40% to 70%.

5. Achieve and keep a healthy weight

In several ways, being overweight is bad for your heart. One way is that it can hasten the formation of artery-clogging plaques. Being extremely overweight increases the risk of developing heart disease. a reliable source like:

elevated LDL cholesterol

elevated triglycerides

blood pressure is high.

Obstructive sleep apnea type 2 diabetes

According to the AHA, a BMI of 25 is considered to be optimum. Your BMI can be lowered to a healthy range with the help of diet and exercise. Bariatric surgery is another option to lower your risk of heart disease if lifestyle changes alone are ineffective and your BMI is 40 or above.

6. Don't smoke (and secondhand smoke)

One of the biggest risks to your health is smoking. It's to blame for nearly a third of heart disease deaths, according to Trusted Source. Your risk of developing heart disease increases the more you smoke and the longer you continue to smoke.

Numerous compounds included in cigarette smoke, some of which harm your heart and blood vessels, are present. The heart is also harmed by other nicotine products including e-cigarettes and vaping as well as by secondhand smoke.

Quitting smoking has immediate benefits. As soon as you stop smoking, your chance of developing heart disease will start to decrease. Your risk of suffering a heart attack will considerably decrease within a year of quitting.

Visit smokefree.gov or speak with your doctor for assistance in quitting.

7.Limit alcohol use

Perhaps you've read that drinking alcohol is good for your heart. However, drinking has more risks than advantages, especially if you drink too much.

The AHATrusted Source claims that excessive alcohol consumption causes:

blood pressure is high.

elevated triglycerides

cardiomyopathy \ arrhythmia

If heart disease runs in your family, check with your doctor to see if drinking is safe for you at all. Drinking may be okay for those at moderate risk as long as it is done in moderation (one drink per day for women, two for men).

8. Get sufficient, high-quality rest.

According to the AHATrusted Source, those who don't get enough sleep have more health issues, such as high blood pressure and obesity, which raise their risk for heart disease.

Snoring and difficulty falling asleep may be symptoms of a sleep disorder like insomnia or sleep apnea. These two sleep disorders have a connection to heart disease.

Getting enough sleep could counteract your family's history of heart disease.

According to a study from 2020, those with the same genetic risk for heart disease who slept well at night had lower heart disease risks than those who slept poorly while having the same genetic risk.

Here are some suggestions to aid in increasing your sleep:

Every night, go to bed at the same time, and every morning, get up at the same time.

Maintain a dark, chilly, and silent bedroom.

A few hours before going to bed, stop eating and drinking.

Exercise first thing in the day or late afternoon.

9. Track your statistics

Heart disease is associated with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and type 2 diabetes. Maintaining an eye on your weight as well as several other crucial health indicators will help you better manage these conditions:

triglycerides, HDL, and LDL

systolic pressure

triglycerides

blood glucose

You can periodically weigh yourself and check your blood pressure at home. A quick blood test can be used by your doctor to assess your blood sugar, triglycerides, and cholesterol. You can take action to manage any high numbers if you see them.

10. Get routine heart health examinations

There are times when inherited heart disease goes unnoticed. Regular checkups with your health care physician or cardiologist will help you identify and treat heart disease early, before it can lead to long-term issues.

The lesson

You run the risk of developing heart disease even if your family has a history of it.

Monitoring your blood pressure, cholesterol, and other metrics is one approach to safeguard your heart. Then, together with your doctor, develop a programme that includes heart-healthy dietary and exercise improvements.