Heart Attack and Unstable Angina
Prevention
You may be able to prevent coronary artery disease (CAD) and heart attack by lowering your blood pressure and cholesterol, eating healthy foods, and getting regular exercise.
The most important lifestyle changes that you can make are to quit smoking and to exercise on most, preferably all, days of the week. Eating a balanced diet that is low in saturated fats and rich in fruits and vegetables is also advised.
Lifestyle changes may include:
- Quitting smoking and avoiding second-hand smoke.
- Controlling your cholesterol.
- Controlling your blood pressure.
- Exercising.
- Relaxing and reducing stress.
- Managing depression and anger.
- Getting a flu shot every year.
General dietary guidelines for heart-healthy eating may be recommended, such as the:
- Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC) diet.12 For more information on this diet, see:
- Healthy diet guidelines for a healthy heart.
- Mediterranean diet.
Specific dietary considerations involve:
- Antioxidants and heart disease.
- Fish and heart disease.
- Fibres effect on cholesterol.
- Soy's effect on cholesterol.
- Alcohol and heart disease.
- B vitamins. Doctors recommend eating a balanced diet that includes plenty of vitamins B6, B12, and folic acid. These vitamins can reduce homocysteine levels. (People with high homocysteine levels can be at increased risk for heart attack.) But vitamin B and folic acid supplements have not been shown to reduce the risk of a heart attack.13, 14
- Cholesterol-lowering margarines.
- Trans fat and heart disease.
Cholesterol
Having high cholesterol increases your risk of coronary artery disease. If diet and exercise are not effective in lowering your cholesterol to a safe level, your doctor will probably prescribe a statin, a cholesterol-lowering medicine. These medicines have been proven effective in treating high cholesterol, and now doctors are beginning to prescribe them for people with lower cholesterol levels. Recent studies show that the use of cholesterol-lowering drugs can also help people with normal to moderately high levels of cholesterol. In these people, cholesterol-lowering drugs combined with lifestyle changes may slow the development of atherosclerosis and lower the risk of heart attack or death.
ASA
ASA may reduce the risk of developing blood clots that can lead to a heart attack in people with known CAD and in people with multiple risk factors for CAD, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. There are some risks associated with ASA therapy that you should discuss with your doctor before you begin this type of treatment. If you cannot take ASA, your doctor may prescribe another antiplatelet medicine, such as clopidogrel (Plavix).
Hormone therapy
Taking estrogen with or without progestin does not prevent coronary artery disease. In fact, if you are 10 or more years past menopause, taking hormone therapy may raise your risk of coronary artery disease.15
Talk to your doctor about your risks with hormone therapy. And carefully weigh the benefits against the risks of taking it. If you need relief for symptoms of menopause, hormone therapy is one choice you can think about. But there are other types of treatment for problems like hot flashes and sleep problems. For more information, see the topic Menopause and Perimenopause.
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| Author: | Robin Parks, MS | Last Updated: February 26, 2008 |
| Medical Review: | Caroline S. Rhoads, MD - Internal Medicine Stephen Fort, MD, MRCP, FRCPC - Interventional Cardiology | |
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