Are you at risk of heart disease?

5 lifestyle risk factors for heart disease

​​1. Smoking

Smoking cigarettes or cigars almost doubles the risk of having a heart attack​​^1​ as it damages the lining of the heart’s arteries, makes the heart pump harder and beat faster, and makes blood more likely to clot. ​Vaping also significantly increases the risk of having a heart attack​​.​​​

​​​​​​​If you smoke​ or vape​, quitting is the single best thing you can do for your ​​heart health.​​​

2. Being inactive

You’re almost twice as likely to develop coronary heart disease – one of the most ​​common types of heart disease – if you’re ​inactive.¹ ​This makes lack of physical activity the second-biggest risk factor for heart disease, behind smoking.​​​​

Spending ​at least 2.5 hours ​​​doing ​moderate-intensity physical activity each week is ​​recommended.

3. An unhealthy weight

This can increase your risk of heart disease by causing a fatty build-up in your arteries. It also increases the risk of a number of other health conditions that are linked to heart ​​disease. You can read more about these, below. 

4. Eating an unhealthy diet

The food you eat impacts your weight, as well as your risk of other health conditions that increase the chance of developing heart ​disease.

In general, people of all ages in Australia eat too much sugar, saturated fat and salt, as well as too much food that’s high in energy but low in nutrients. On average, people aren’t eating the recommended servings of healthy foods, either. For example, 90 per cent of adults don’t eat enough ​​vegetables.³ That’s significant because eating at least 5 servings of ​​​fresh vegetables ​a day reduces the risk of heart disease by almost 17 per ​​cent.⁴

5. Drinking too much alcohol

People who drink heavily are 3 times more likely to have a ​​stroke.⁵ As well as weakening the heart, alcohol can increase blood pressure and cause levels of blood fats to ​​rise.

​​​​One-quarter of ​adults in Australia ​​drink​​ too much ​​alcohol.⁶ Drinking no more than 4 standard drinks on any single day and no more than 10 drinks a ​​week in total, is recommended. 

 

Other heart disease risk factors that you can't control

The risk factors for heart disease that are beyond your control include:

• age: the risk of heart disease gradually increases with ​​age
• family history: if one of your parents or siblings has a heart attack or a stroke before they turn 60, it means your own risk of heart disease is ​​increased
• gender: men and women experience many of the same risk factors for heart ​disease, but there are also some key differences. For example, men are more likely than women to develop heart disease in middle ​​age. On the other hand, women’s heart disease risk increases significantly around ​​menopause
• ethnic background: people of Middle Eastern, South Asian, Maori or Pacific Islander descent have an increased risk of developing heart disease. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples also have an increased ​risk.

 

Health conditions that increase your risk of heart disease

A few different health conditions can increase the risk of heart disease. They can often be managed or even avoided simply by making healthier choices, including taking control of the lifestyle risk factors for heart disease mentioned above. In other cases, once they’ve been diagnosed, medication can be used to help control or manage the ​condition.

These health conditions include the following:

High blood pressure

This is considered one of the leading risk factors for heart disease. If it’s left unmanaged, high blood pressure can cause the heart to become enlarged and to pump less effectively. It also increases the chance of having a heart attack or a ​​stroke.

More than ​​​1 ​in 3 ​​​​adults in Australia have high blood pressure^​7 and ​​​many may not know they have it. It’s important to have your blood pressure checked regularly by your ​​doctor.

High cholesterol

This is another major risk factor for heart ​disease because it can cause a build-up of fatty plaques in the heart’s arteries. If this build-up causes a blockage, it increases the risk of having a heart attack or ​​stroke.

More than 2 in 5 adults in Australia are living with high ​​cholesterol.⁸

Diabetes

The high blood sugar levels caused by diabetes can damage the heart’s blood vessels over time. It’s one reason why people living with diabetes are up to 4 times more likely to have a stroke or heart ​​attack.⁹ 

The most common type of diabetes in Australia is type 2 diabetes. Almost 60 per cent of type 2 diabetes can be delayed or prevented by making diet and lifestyle ​​changes.¹⁰ 

Thirty per cent of​ adults living with diabetes in Australia are currently ​​undiagnosed,¹¹ so it’s important to talk to your doctor about your risk and get tested for diabetes if you’re told you have a higher ​​risk. 

What can I do to reduce my risk of heart disease and stroke?

The first step in preventing heart disease is understanding which – if any – of the risk factors mentioned above you’re living ​with. 

A simple way to do this is by having a ​​Heart Health Check. These 20-minute check-ups with a GP are covered by Medicare and include checking your blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels. The aim is to help you understand your risk of having a heart attack or stroke, as well as what you can do to lower this ​risk. 

Heart Health Checks are recommended at least once every 2 years for both men and women aged 45 years and over, or 30 years and over for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ​peoples.

There are also lifestyle changes you can consider making right away to ​​help look after your ​heart. This includes taking steps to address any of the modifiable risk factors you may have identified as being relevant to you, for example ​​exercising for heart health if you’re not active enough and choosing to ​eat heart-healthy foods if you feel like your diet could be healthier.