Do you know the best way to protect yourself from heart disease? For women, it really can be as simple as one, two, three:

1: Check Your Style

Before you focus on specific illnesses, cultivate the behaviors that are proven to reduce your risk from all manner of maladies, from heart disease to cancer:

• Smoking cessation
• Heart-healthy eating: at least four daily servings of fruits and of vegetables; at least three servings of whole grains; lean proteins and dairy such as fish, nuts, and low-fat yogurt; healthy fats such as olive oil
• Regular physical activity: at least 30 minutes of aerobic activity every day
• Weight management
• Stress management: eliminating or seeking treatment for chronic stress, anxiety, or depression

Making these elements a part of your lifestyle now is the most important thing you can do to prevent heart disease from striking you.

2: Know Your Risk

You are at risk for heart disease if you meet any of these criteria, no matter your age:

• A member of your family developed heart problems early in life: men less than 55 years old, women less than 65 years old
• Your doctor has told you that you have: High blood pressure, high cholesterol, vascular disease, an abdominal aortic aneurysm, diabetes or metabolic syndrome*, or chronic kidney disease
• Your habits include: smoking, an unbalanced daily diet (fewer than five servings of fruits and vegetables; regular eating of sugary sweets or sugar-sweetened beverages, processed foods, and refined sugars and flours), no regular exercise, or obesity (especially when your excess weight is around your abdomen—waist size greater than 35 inches for women or 40 for men)

3: If You Are at Risk

For women with no previous heart-related health problems and no symptoms of heart disease or heart failure, your doctor is likely to prescribe:

• blood pressure or cholesterol medications
• aspirin or another drug to control blood clotting
• a statin drug
• blood sugar medication

You may want to ask your doctor about:

• supplementing your diet with omega-3 fatty acids
• depression treatment if you think you may be depressed
• referral to a cardiologist if your risk factors can’t be controlled

If you are not currently at risk: Visit your doctor every year for a wellness checkup. He or she will monitor your weight, lifestyle, and bloodwork to make sure you stay in optimal health. In the meantime, repeat step 1.

*Cardiologist Kristin Newby, MD, adds that metabolic syndrome may be the most important marker for early detection of heart disease in women. Metabolic syndrome is a collection of health risks that includes obesity, high blood sugar, and other abnormal blood work results that your doctor can measure. It often precedes type 2 diabetes, but it also increases the chance of developing heart disease and stroke. Newby says many people with metabolic syndrome may develop heart problems even before they are diagnosed with diabetes.

Where Do These Recommendations Come From?

In 2007, the American Heart Association released updated recommendations for how women can best prevent heart disease. They’re based on a review of clinical evidence analyzed by 33 of the nation’s leading experts on women’s heart health. Duke’s clinical data formed the bedrock for much of these recommendations, and Duke cardiologist Kristin Newby, MD, internist Rowena Dolor, MD, and neurologist Cheryl Bushnell, MD (now of Wake forest), were among the expert panelists.