Ask the Expert

Get answers to your heart disease prevention questions.

Note: This is for informational purposes only. Doctors cannot provide a diagnosis or individual treatment advice via e-mail. Please consult your physician about your specific health care concerns.

Please install flash player to see this video.

Heart Center Virtual Tour

Atherosclerosis - Prevention

Alternative Names

Arteriosclerosis; Hardening of the arteries; Plaque buildup - arteries

Prevention:

The following lifestyle changes can help prevent atherosclerosis:

Eat a low-fat, low-cholesterol, and low-salt diet.
Eat fish. Adding fish to the diet at least twice a week has been shown to be helpful. Do not fry the fish, as this destroys the benefit.
If you don't like to eat fish, try a fish oil supplement.
Exercise 30 minutes every day. If you are overweight, you should get 60 - 90 minutes of exercise a day.
Lose weight if you are overweight.
Stop smoking.
Mild to moderate consumption of alcohol or wine (1-2 drinks per day) may also reduce the risk of cardiovascular events. Too much alcohol, however, does more harm than good.
If you have one or more risk factors for heart attack or stroke, ask your doctor if you should take aspirin every day. Aspirin can help some people reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke.

Work with your doctor to bring your blood pressure into the normal range. This may require medication. Follow your doctor's recommendations for treating and controlling diabetes and other diseases.

Do not take hormonal replacement therapy, folic acid supplements, vitamin C or E, or antioxidants to decrease the risk of heart disease or stroke. These methods have not been proven to prevent these conditions.

Carotid stenosis, X-ray of the left artery

Carotid stenosis, X-ray of the right artery

Enlarged view of atherosclerosis

Prevention of heart disease

Developmental process of atherosclerosis

Angina

Atherosclerosis

Cholesterol producers

Coronary artery balloon angioplasty - series

Reviewed last on: 7/15/2008
Alan Berger, MD, Assistant Professor, Divisions of Cardiology and Epidemiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

References

Boden WE, O'rourke RA, Teo KK, et al. Optimal Medical Therapy with or without PCI for Stable Coronary Disease. N Engl J Med. 2007 Mar 26; [Epub ahead of print].

Mosca L, Banka CL, Benjamin EJ, et al. Evidence-Based Guidelines for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention in Women: 2007 Update. Circulation. 2007; Published online before print February 19, 2007.

Zipes DP, Libby P, Bonow RO, Braunwald E, eds. Braunwald's Heart Disease: A Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine, 7th ed. St. Louis, Mo: WB Saunders; 2005:921-935.

The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed medical professional should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Call 911 for all medical emergencies. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. © 1997- A.D.A.M., Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.

Home > Medical Reference > Encyclopedia (English)