Preventive therapy for heart disease is recommended byGeneral Physician in Lahore for anyone with multiple risk factors for heart disease. These risk factors may include: family history of ischemic heart disease, abdominal obesity, smoking, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes and high blood pressure. Once these risk factors are identified, lifestyle modification should be adopted to mitigate the risk of impending heart disease. Read on to know eight ways to prevent heart disease:

1.  Quit smoking

Smoking quadruples the risk of future heart disease. It contains chemicals and toxins that make the blood vessels narrow and encourage the production of thrombi in the blood. Consequently, blood flow is impeded to the heart muscles, instigating angina and myocardial infarction.

Additionally, it raises the blood pressure by narrowing the blood vessels, which is another independent risk factor for ischemic heart disease. For healthier lifestyle, smoking cessation is mandatory. Talk to your healthcare provider about finding best ways to quit smoking.

2.  Control diabetes

Diabetes is another prothrombotic disease. It narrows the blood vessels and makes a patient prone to blood clot formation, especially if they also smoke. The risk is particularly high for people who do not control their diabetes and are not compliant to medication.

According to data, 68 percent of diabetic people over the age of 65 have some form of heart disease while 16 percent of these die from a prothrombotic disease like stroke. Therefore, for people looking to diminish their risk of heart disease, good diabetic control along with workout and medication are particularly important.

3.  Control blood pressure

Hardening of the blood vessels due to hypertension is a leading cause of cardiac diseases. Like diabetes, hypertension is also a risk factor for stroke. Being physically active, minimizing the daily intake of sodium along with being compliant to medication is proven to normalize the blood pressure.

4.  Eat healthy

Eating healthy goes a long way in reducing and reversing the risk of disease, including that of heart attack. Start by finding your body mass index (BMI); obese or overweight individuals should talk to the healthcare provider about weight loss plan. Losing 5 or 10 percent of weight can significantly lower the risk of heart disease by lowering cholesterol, improving blood sugar control and blood pressure.

5.  Get regular exercise

Being physically active plays a big role in improving health. Even low-impact exercises are useful, as opposed to a sedentary life style. For adults, it is recommended to get 150 minutes of moderate activity per week. Gradually increasing the pace and intensity of the workout increases the benefits, exponentially.

6.  Get help for stress

Stress releases hormones inside the body which increases the blood glucose, promotes the narrowing of vessels and causes palpitations. If the stressful situation continues for a long duration, the cardiovascular system is greatly impacted. You may want to seek the help of a mental health professional in case of continuous stress. Support groups and talking to friends and family is also helpful in managing stress.

7.  Regular physical exams

Regular physical exams, particularly for someone with chronic diseases—like diabetes and hypertension help to identify and manage the risk factors. The healthcare team might also put the patient on prophylactic care if the risk of impending disease is high. For instance, low-dose aspirin is often prescribed to patients with uncontrolled diabetes to lower the risk of ischemic heart disease.

8.  Quit alcohol

Too much alcohol contributes to: hyperlipidemia, risk of stroke and hypertension. For people already suffering from chronic disorder like diabetes and high blood pressure, it is essential to quit alcohol and get a complete physical from General Physician in Islamabad.