Heart disease is the leading cause of death, but there are ways you can reduce some risk factors

There are a multitude of reasons to pay special attention to your heart health, but one of the largest might be the rate of death from heart disease.

According to the American Heart Association, it is the leading cause of death of adults in the United States.

Anyone’s specific risk factors come from lifestyle and inherited factors, but the good news is that there’s quite a lot you can do to begin taking better care of your heart. Even if you’ve already had heart complications, taking better care of yourself can reduce your risk for future complications, according to Henry Ford Health.

Risk factors you can and can’t change

Risk factors you can’t change include your age, gender and race, as well as any family history and genetics, which can include congenital heart defects.

The good news is that there’s plenty of risk factors you can manage, like diet, exercise, alcohol use and stress, as well as smoking and other tobacco use. You can also take control over medical conditions like obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol or high blood pressure.

[Related: Take a five-minute heart risk assessment]

According to the American Heart Association, the best steps you can take to keep your heart healthy are these seven recommendations:

1. Control your cholesterol.
2. Eat better.
3. Get active.
4. Lose weight.
5. Manage your blood pressure.
6. Reduce your blood sugar.
7. Stop Smoking.

Experts at Henry Ford Health say whole food plant-based diets can help to improve cardiovascular health by working directly to improve cholesterol, lower blood pressure, decrease inflammation, eliminate added sugars and boost fiber intake.

There’s no doubt that more exercise is better for your health, but don’t let it overwhelm you. Start small. One study showed you can improve your overall health with as little as 11 minutes of added exercise a day.

Understanding your personal risk

When we get to the part of the risk that is impacted by things like genetics, race and age, it is not so cut and dry. There are no absolutes. You should always talk to your doctor about your possible risk factors. Get a physical done once a year to check things like blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes and other potential heart attack risks.

You can also take a short, five-minute heart risk assessment that can give you a personalized risk report.

The assessment asks general questions about your age, sex, height, weight and ethnicity.

It also digs into a few more in-depth questions that deal with:

• Stress levels.
• Frequency of checkups.
• Familial health history.
• Whether you smoke.
• Exercise.
• Medications.
• Range of cholesterol.
• Blood pressure.
• Diabetes.
• Heart conditions you’ve experienced.

After completing the short assessment, you will have access a multi-page report, within seconds, that explains your specific risk levels and the reasoning behind the results.

You are also provided a link to heart prevention tips from Henry Ford Health.

According to Henry Ford Health, one of the best things you can do is keep regularly scheduled appointments with your doctor.

What kind of factors could be contributing to your heart disease risk? Click or tap here to take your heart risk assessment.

To find a cardiologist at Henry Ford Health, visit henryford.com/heart or call 800-436-7936.