There are two types of risk factors for developing heart disease:

1. Those that cannot be changed:

• Male, over the age of 55
• Female, after menopause
• Ethnicity, e.g. South Asian decent and Aboriginal women
• Immediate family history of heart disease; especially before the age of 55 and before menopause

There is nothing you can do about your age, family history, gender or race, but there are risk factors, listed below, that you CAN control.

2. Those that can be changed or managed:

• Smoking or exposure to second-hand smoke
  
• High blood pressure
  
• High blood cholesterol
  
• Inactive lifestyle
  
• Diabetes
  
• Overweight
  
• Extra weight around the middle (abdomen)
  
• Stress level
  
• Alcohol use

If you have any of the above, they indicate which areas you can work on to improve your lifestyle and become more heart healthy.

Click here to see what you can do to become more heart healthy.