Take Charge of Your Heart Health

Format: Fact sheet
Institute: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)

If you’re like most people, you might think heart disease is a problem for other folks. If you’re a woman, you may believe that being female protects you from heart disease. If you’re a man, you may believe you’re not old enough to have a serious heart condition. If so, you would be wrong on all counts!

Heart disease is the number one killer in the United States—of both men and women. It affects many people at midlife as well as in old age. African Americans and Latinos are at especially high risk for heart disease and have high rates of some of the risk factors that lead to heart problems.

The good news is that heart disease is preventable. You can take action to reduce your risk of heart disease by focusing on your lifestyle and habits. In Brief: Your Guide to a Healthy Heart is a new fact sheet that outlines steps you can take to protect your heart health. Use it as an action plan for heart health. This fact sheet can help you understand your risk of developing heart disease—and offers steps you can take to establish and maintain a heart-healthy lifestyle. It even includes a helpful list of questions to take with you to your doctor’s office.

Next Steps
You can view In Brief: Your Guide to a Healthy Heart online at www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/other/your_guide/healthyheart_fs.htm.

You can order a free copy from NHLBI using the online order form at http://emall.nhlbihin.net/product2.asp?source=&sku=06-5715, or by calling (301) 592-8573 or (240) 629-3255 (TTY).