Heart disease does run in families. Your doctor should know if one or both of your parents had heart disease before age 55. But heredity is not destiny. You can still control risk factors like smoking, obesity, diet and cholesterol. The choices you make can still reduce your risk of getting heart disease.

Teenagers can already have streaks of fat in their major arteries. Childhood obesity and diabetes are the first acts in what can be a lifelong cardiac drama. Eating a sensible diet is vital to people at any age .

Thin People with low cholesterol die of heart attacks every day. Normal weight and normal lipids are good. But weight and diet are only part of the story. You need to quit smoking and, exercise and control your blood pressure.

Heart disease kills far more women then breast cancer. And women past the age of menopause are at particular risk. Both men and women need to observe the same diet and lifestyle factors.

Smoking is a disaster of the entire body. Especially the cardiovascular system. It is associated with everything from coronary artery disease, to heart rhythm disorders, to heart failure.

The minute you quit, you being the process of reducing your cardiac risk. Not to mention your risk of lung, bladder, mouth, breast and colon cancers. You can eventually reduce some risks to levels approaching those of someone who never smoked.