Who Is at Risk for Heart Disease? - Page 3

Lifestyle risk factors for heart disease

Many lifestyle choices increase your likelihood of suffering from heart disease or another form of CVD. The most dangerous is smoking, the fourth conventional risk factor. Another strong predictor of who is at risk for heart disease is being obese or overweight, indicated by a body mass index (BMI) of 25 or greater.

Your BMI is often directly related to another risk factor: how much physical activity you get. Adults who are more physically active — which includes both structured exercise and daily movement like walking, climbing stairs, and gardening — are less likely to develop heart disease than those who live more sedentary lives.

An unhealthy diet is another risk factor for heart disease. According to the American Heart Association, eating too much red meat, saturated fat, and sugars, and not enough fruit, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains, puts you in greater danger of heart disease.

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