The American Heart Association recommends several steps you can take to prevent heart attacks:
* quit smoking,
* check your cholesterol and treat it if it is high,
* after checking with your healthcare provider, exercise 30 minutes or more three or four times a week,
* lose weight if you are more than 20 percent overweight, and
* check your blood pressure and treat it if it is high.

If you smoke, you should stop. A smoker's chance of heart attack is more than twice that of a nonsmoker. Smoking is the biggest risk factor for sudden death. Smokers have two to four times the risk of those who don't smoke.

Ask your doctor to check your blood cholesterol and follow his or her treatment advice. The risk of heart attack rises as cholesterol increases. When other risks, such as high blood pressure and smoking are present, this risk is even higher.

Lack of exercise is a risk factor for heart attack. Routine exercise plays a crucial role in preventing heart and blood vessel disease. Even modest levels of exercise are useful if done routinely and long term.

People who have too much body fat are more likely to develop heart disease and stroke even if they have no other risk actors. Being overweight increases the strain on the heart. It raises blood pressure and blood cholesterol and can lead to diabetes.

High blood pressure increases the heart's workload, causing the heart to enlarge and weaken over time. It also raises the risk of stroke, heart attack, kidney failure and heart failure. When people have high blood pressure and obesity, smoking, high blood cholesterol levels or diabetes, the risk of heart attack rises a great deal.

To find out more, contact your local American Heart Association office or call (800) 242-8721.

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