January 2026

When you visit your healthcare provider for an annual physical, they usually ask about your family history of cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. That’s because genetics play a significant role in determining your lifetime risk for these three major health conditions.

While genetics are beyond your control, your lifestyle choices also play a big role in determining your risk for heart disease. In fact, managing your health conditions and adopting heart-healthy habits can significantly reduce your risk of heart disease.

A 2022 article published in the journal Circulation quantified just how much your choices matter. The study analyzed lifetime risk for coronary heart disease (CHD) based on adherence to the American Heart Association’s (AHA) Simple 7 recommendations. Results show that:

• Those who followed the AHA’s recommendations most closely had a 16.6% lifetime risk of developing CHD.
• Those who strayed furthest from the recommendations had a 43.1%lifetime risk.

The AHA’s guidelines cover eight key areas (formerly known as the Simple 7, now the Simple 8 with the addition of sleep). These include like managing health conditions high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and high blood sugar, as well as adopting five lifestyle choices:

1. Eat healthy
2. Get enough exercise
3. Maintain a healthy weight
4. Quit smoking
5. Get the right amount of sleep

Let’s explore how these lifestyle choices can help you lower your risk of heart disease.

Eat healthy

A heart-healthy diet is one that includes:

• Fresh fruits and vegetables
• Whole grains (like brown rice, oats, and quinoa)
• Low-fat or non-fat dairy products
• Nuts and seeds (like almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds)
• Legumes (like black beans and kidney beans)
• Skinless poultry and fish
• Heart-healthy non-tropical vegetable oils (like olive oil and canola oil)

In addition, you should make sure you get enough fiber every day, as fiber helps flush cholesterol from your body, stabilize blood sugar, and keep you feeling full. Just how much fiber do you need per day? The recommended daily intake is:

• Women under 50: 25 grams
• Men under 50: 38 grams
• Women over 50: 21 grams
• Men over 50: 30 grams

Eating healthy isn’t just about choosing the right foods; it’s also about limiting those foods and drinks that harm your heart. Things you should avoid — or strictly limit — include:

• Saturated fats. These are found in full-fat dairy products, butter, red meat, and tropical oils (such as palm oil and coconut oil). If you do choose to eat red meat, select lean cuts.
• Sugar. It’s not just white sugar but any type of sugary sweetener (like brown sugar, coconut sugar, honey, maple syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, and agave syrup). The AHA recommends that men limit their total daily intake of added sugar to 38 grams, while women should limit theirs to 25 grams. Check nutrition labels carefully, as added sugars are common in processed foods such as breakfast cereals, protein bars, ketchup, pasta sauces, juice “drinks,” energy drinks, and non-diet soda.
• Processed white carbs. This includes items such as white rice, white flour, and white bread. These lack fiber and can spike blood sugar.
• Other processed foods. This includes items like chips and crackers, which typically contain excess fat, sodium, and empty calories.

Get enough exercise

Regular exercise can help you maintain your weight, keep weight off, and improve your cardiovascular fitness. The AHA recommends that you get at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity (such as walking or swimming) or 75 minutes of vigorous physical activity (such as running) each week.

Need some tips for getting started? Check out these three tips for starting a fitness routine.

Maintain a healthy weight

Excess weight puts extra strain on your heart and increases your risk for high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diabetes. Use your body mass index (BMI) to determine whether your weight is in a healthy range.

Struggling to lose weight? A few simple things may help:

• Add strength training. In addition to hitting your target for minutes of cardio every week, add strength training (like weightlifting, resistance training, or a functional fitness class) two to three times per week. Building muscle mass will help you increase your metabolism.
• Eat enough protein. Protein helps you feel full and maintain muscle mass. Active adults need between 0.55 and 0.91 grams of protein per pound of body weight, with the most active adults (like competitive athletes) falling on the higher end of this range. That’s between 82 and 136 grams per day for someone who weighs 150 pounds.
• Eat enough fiber. Fiber not only supports heart health but also helps you feel full longer. Follow the AHA’s daily fiber recommendations based on your age and gender.

Quit smoking

Smoking significantly increases your risk of developing heart disease —but quitting helps to reverse that risk. Consider these facts:

• Within 20 minutes of quitting smoking, your heart rate and blood pressure drop.
• After you quit smoking for one to two years, your risk of heart attack drops dramatically.
• Within three to six years of quitting, your added risk of coronary heart disease (from smoking) drops by 50% compared to smokers.
• After you’ve quit smoking for 15 years, your risk of coronary heart disease is almost as low as that of someone who has never smoked.

Need help with quitting? Learn how to kick the smoking habit for good —and find ways to manage nicotine cravings once you do. If you’re still struggling, ask your doctor or a local pharmacist for extra advice on quitting.

Get the right amount of sleep

The AHA reports that both too much and too little sleep is associated with a higher risk of heart disease. Adults should aim for seven to nine hours of sleep per night.

It’s more common for people to have trouble getting enough sleep compared to getting too much. If that’s you, read more about how to get a better night’s sleep.

If you’re sleeping too much, talk with your doctor. You may have a medical problem or a mental health issue that is causing you to sleep more than normal. In this case, your excess sleep isn’t a problem to solve but a sign that something else is going on that you need to treat.

Key takeaways

• Small changes make a big difference: Even minor adjustments to your diet, activity level, and daily habits can lead to major improvements in heart health.
• Limit added sugar. The AHA recommends that men consume no more than 38 grams/day and women consume no more than 25 grams/day.
• Quitting smoking saves lives: The benefits of quitting smoking begin within minutes and continue for years.
• Prioritize sleep: Aim for 7–9 hours per night to protect your heart and overall health.
• Get enough exercise. The AHA recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity or 75 minutes of vigorous physical activity each week.