How to Improve Your Heart Health |  | 
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Mercy Heart & Vascular Institute established the Mercy Women's Heart Health program to help empower Sacramento women to take charge of their heart health. We want to help identify women who are at risk for heart disease and help all women identify simple steps they can take to improve their health.
Here are important things you can do to help keep your heart healthy:
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Don't Smoke: Tobacco use lowers your level of good cholesterol, raises your blood pressure and promotes clotting
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Control Cholesterol: Most heart disease is the result of cholesterol-rich, fatty buildup that narrows the vessels that supply blood to your heart. There are two sources of cholesterol - your body, which makes cholesterol to aid digestion, and the foods you eat
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Know Your LDL: LDL, or bad cholesterol, accounts for most of the cholesterol in your blood and is considered most responsible for the formation of plaque. Most people with Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) require medication to achieve target LDL levels
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Control High Blood Pressure: High blood pressure damages arteries, setting the stage for plaque formation. It also increases the stress on the heart muscle which may cause damage to the organ
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Exercise: People who have had heart attacks may increase their chances of survival if they change their habits to include regular physical activity. Exercise can help control blood fats and blood glucose, maintain weight and lower blood pressure
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Keep Blood Sugar Within Normal Ranges: People with diabetes are very susceptible to CAD. It is especially important for people with diabetes to control their blood glucose, as well as blood pressure and cholesterol
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Manage Stress: Stress is a normal part of everyone's life. It is not stress that increases your risk for CAD, but how you cope with it
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Control Your Weight: By itself, obesity increases your risk for CAD. Obesity also contributes to other risk factors, including hypertension, high blood cholesterol and diabetes
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