First, understand the major risk factors: smoking, diabetes, a family history of premature heart disease, blood pressure higher than 140/90, an elevated LDL (“bad”) cholesterol level and a low HDL (“good”) cholesterol level. To calculate risk, see americanheart.org. If you are at high risk for heart disease, the AHA recommends taking a statin. To boost good cholesterol, take niacin–but only by prescription.
Counter to conventional wisdom, the new guidelines also caution against taking antioxidant supplements, citing a lack of evidence that they work. “If people think that they’re tak-ing something that is preventive and in fact they’re not, they may feel a little off the hook,” says the AHA’s chief science officer, Dr. Rose Marie Robertson. Low-risk women should also avoid taking aspirin to prevent heart disease. (It’s a blood thinner that can cause bleeding in the stomach.) And above all, eat well, exercise and don’t smoke–and keep those New Year’s resolutions going.
