Tips for a healthy heart for adults and youth

With Valentine's Day around the corner, it's a good time to take a look at the state of your heart.

"Coronary heart disease remains one of the leading causes of death for both men and women in the United States. However, healthy lifestyle habits can prevent disease and markedly improve a person's quality of life," said Dr. Gregg C. Fonarow, UCLA's Eliot Corday Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine and Science, professor of cardiology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and director of the AhmansonUCLA Cardiomyopathy Center.

"It's important for children to adopt healthy heart habits early," said Dr. Thomas Litzner, professor of pediatric cardiology at Mattel Children's Hospital at UCLA. "The path to heart disease begins in childhood. Obesity and high blood pressure are becoming more prevalent in children and young adults. Buy introducing the concepts of regular exercise, good nutrition and avoiding smoking, children can make heart-healthy habits part of their lifestyle for the rest of their lives."

Following are tips for adults to maintain a healthy heart.

+Do not smoke and avoid secondhand smoke. Smoking increases the risk of heart attacks and failure. Quitting smoking rapidly reduces the cardiovascular risk.

+Exercise. New recommendations are to exercise for 30 to 60 minutes daily. Exercise helps an adult to maintain a healthy weight and keeps the heart strong and disease free.

+Maintain a healthy weight. Obesity has been shown to increase the risk of heart attacks and failure, and diabetes. A healthy diet combined with an exercise program is the best way to maintain a normal weight.

+Check cholesterol levels. High cholesterol does not cause any symptoms until it's too late. The only way to know if one's cholesterol level is healthy is to get it checked.

+Maintain a healthy cholesterol level. The ideal level for LDL ("bad" cholesterol) is less than 100. Certain individuals need to achieve even lower LDL levels. Keeping HDL ("good" cholesterol) levels up is also important. Talk to a physician about the best plan to keep ideal cholesterol levels.

+Check blood pressure. Many patients with hypertension are not aware that they have this condition. There are effective treatments for high blood pressure.

+Maintain a normal blood pressure. High blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart attacks, strokes and heart failure. The systolic blood pressure should be below 140 and the diastolic pressure below 90. Certain individuals need even tighter control of their blood pressure.

+Take medications as recommended by a physician. Many patients stop taking their prescribed medications without discussing this with a physician. Studies show that individuals who stop their medications are at much higher risk for heart disease as compared with those who adhere to their medical regimen.

+Take omega-3 fatty acids. Studies show that getting one gram a day of omega3 fatty acids in the diet, or taking such supplements as fish oil capsules, is associated with a lower risk of heart disease.

+See a doctor. Regular medical follow-up is one of the best ways to keep a heart healthy and avoid problems.

Tips for children and teens for a healthy heart.

+Watch no more than one hour of television a day. This includes nonschoolwork-related computer activities, video games and Game Boytype activities.

+Get outside and move around for at least 30 minutes every day.

+Eat five servings of fruits and vegetables every day.

+Avoid fast and fried foods, and eat in moderation.

+Don't smoke.

+See a pediatrician for all regularly scheduled visits.

+Report unusual feelings, such as a racing heart or feeling faint, to an adult.

This story provided by UCLA Medical Center.