Prevention

You can help prevent a heart attack by taking steps that slow or prevent coronary artery disease—the main risk factor for a heart attack.

Make lifestyle changes

• Quit smoking. It may be the best thing you can do to prevent heart disease. You can start lowering your risk right away by quitting smoking. Also, avoid secondhand smoke. For more information, see:

  Interactive Tool: How Does Smoking Increase Your Risk of Heart Attack?

  Interactive Tool: Are You Ready to Quit Smoking?

• Exercise. Exercise boosts your health in a lot of ways. It can improve cholesterol and lower blood pressure. It can also help you reach a healthy weight. Try to exercise for at least 30 minutes on most, if not all, days of the week. Talk to your doctor before starting an exercise program. To learn more, see:

  Heart Disease: Exercising for a Healthy Heart.

• Eat a heart-healthy diet. The way you eat can help you control your cholesterol and blood pressure. It can be hard to know what's best to eat for a healthy heart. See these guidelines for heart-healthy eating for general tips and special diets to help lower cholesterol and blood pressure. Remember that some foods you may hear about are just fads that don't prevent heart disease at all. To help you start and stay with a healthy eating plan, see:

  Heart Disease: Eating a Heart-Healthy Diet.

  Comparing Heart-Healthy Diets(What is a PDF document?).

Control cholesterol and blood pressure

To reduce your risk of a heart attack, you will need to control your cholesterol and manage your blood pressure. Quitting smoking, changing the way you eat, and getting more exercise can help. But if these things don't work, you may also need to take medicines. To learn more about taking medicines, see:

High Cholesterol: Should I Take Statins?

High Blood Pressure: Should I Take Medicine?

For more information, see the topics:

• High Cholesterol.
• High Blood Pressure.

Take aspirin to prevent a heart attack

Taking daily aspirin might lower your chances of having a heart attack. Talk with your doctor before taking aspirin every day. To see if aspirin is right for you, you and your doctor will balance the benefits and the risks of taking a daily aspirin.

For more information, see the topic Low-Dose Aspirin Therapy.

Aspirin: Should I Take Daily Aspirin to Prevent a Heart Attack or Stroke?

Manage stress and get help for depression

• Manage stress. Stress can hurt your heart. Keep stress low by talking about your problems and feelings, rather than keeping your feelings hidden. Try different ways to reduce stress, such as exercise, deep breathing, meditation, or yoga. For more tips on how to manage stress, see the topic Positive Thinking With Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy.

  Stress Management: Managing Your Time

• Get help for depression. Getting treatment for depression can help you stay healthy.

Learn about issues for women

Women have unique risk factors for heart disease, including birth control pills and hormone replacement therapy. These things can raise a woman's risk for a heart attack or stroke.

See the topic Women and Coronary Artery Disease for more information on risk, symptoms, and prevention of heart disease.