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General WellnessHeart HealthPreventive Care

7 drug-free ways to lower heart disease risk

Medication isn't the only way to improve your heart health.

Jan 23, 2026
Home page>Cardiology>Heart Disease>7 drug-free ways to lower heart disease risk
Written byTaylor Lupo
Medically reviewedbyMegan Burke, MDin February 2024
Slide 1
Eat a healthy diet
Manage your blood sugar
Reconsider some vices
Add more movement
Check your stress levels
Maintain a healthy weight
Head to rehab
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Slide 1

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for adults in the United States. If you’re at risk, your healthcare provider (HCP) can develop a plan to help keep your heart healthy. This plan may include using medication or taking other steps to manage contributing conditions, such as high blood pressure and diabetes.

The plan will also likely involve making lifestyle changes. These heart-healthy habits can help keep medical issues under control and improve your overall well-being. Best of all, you can get a jump-start on them at home. Consider taking the following steps.

Sources (19)
  1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Heart Disease: Heart Disease Facts. Reviewed May 15, 2023.
  2. Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health. Obesity Causes. Accessed February 14, 2024.
  3. American Heart Association. The American Heart Association Diet and Lifestyle Recommendations. Reviewed November 1, 2021.
  4. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. What Is Diabetes? Reviewed April 2023.
  5. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Insulin Resistance and Prediabetes. Reviewed May 2018.
  6. Mayo Clinic. Prediabetes. November 11, 2023.
  7. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Diabetes, Heart Disease, & Stroke. Reviewed April 2021.
  8. American Heart Association. How Smoking and Nicotine Damage Your Body. Reviewed January 5, 2024.
  9. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Smoking and Cardiovascular Disease. 2014.
  10. American Heart Association. Even just 1 alcoholic drink a day may increase blood pressure. Published July 31, 2023.
  11. American College of Cardiology. Putting the 2021 AHA Dietary Guidelines into Practice. January 14, 2022.
  12. American Heart Association. American Heart Association Recommendations for Physical Activity in Adults and Kids. Reviewed January 19, 2024.
  13. American Council on Exercise (ACE). Pickleball: Health Benefits, How to Get Started, and How to Get Better (Everyday Health). November 23, 2022.
  14. Johns Hopkins Medicine. Risk Factors for Heart Disease: Don't Underestimate Stress. Accessed February 14, 2024.
  15. Mayo Clinic. Stress relievers: Tips to tame stress. August 3, 2023.
  16. American Heart Association. Keeping a Healthy Body Weight. Reviewed Jan 18, 2024.
  17. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Center for Health Statistics: Obesity and Overweight. Reviewed January 5, 2023.
  18. NIH: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Heart Treatments. Updated on March 24, 2022.
  19. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Heart Disease: How Cardiac Rehabilitation Can Help Heal Your Heart. Reviewed September 12, 2022.
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