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People cannot control their age and gender, but they can control other risk factors used by Framingham. People are advised to adopt lifestyle habits that will reduce the chance of a heart-related problem in the next 10 years.
While there is no guarantee that heart-healthy living will keep heart disease at bay, these lifestyle changes can be beneficial to physical and emotional health and well-being, increasing overall quality of life. Also, because some risk factors are interconnected, making changes in one area can lead to positive differences in other areas as well.
Recommended lifestyle changes include:
- Quitting smoking. The study showed that heart disease was directly linked to smoking, and the risk significantly dropped after quitting smoking.
- Eating a heart-healthy diet that is low in saturated fats and oils and cholesterol. This includes eating foods high in heart-healthy vitamins and minerals, including certain B-vitamins, antioxidants, calcium and magnesium. Some experts also recommend additional supplements, such as garlic and omega-3 fatty acids. Specific diets that are being recommended by some experts include the Mediterranean diet and the DASH diet.
- Achieving and maintaining a healthy weight. Being overweight or obese places extra stress on the heart, as well as increasing the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, a known risk factor for heart disease.
- Engaging in regular exercise. The study found that exercise aided blood circulation and lessened the heart’s workload in times of stress/exertion. It also showed mental and emotional benefits. Moderate physical activity is recommended for at least 30 minutes per day, seven days a week. Shorter, daily periods of exercise are also helpful.
- Using stress management and anger management techniques. Stress and anger were linked to cardiovascular events such as heart attack and stroke.
- Controlling chronic conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure (hypertension). Untreated, both of these conditions were shown to increase the risk of heart disease.
People are encouraged to be determined but patient as they make these changes, because they do not happen overnight. Making lifestyle changes gradually, meeting small goals along the way, can be a helpful approach. | 
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