Heart disease in men: 5 lifestyle changes to lower your risk

While you can’t control things like family history, your genetics, or age, there are plenty of lifestyle factors that you can influence.

Making some small (and some big) changes to how you live can have a big impact on the health of your heart and reduce your likelihood of developing heart disease later in life.

Key facts and figures

• In the UK, 1 in 8 men will die as a result of coronary heart disease
• Around 30% of adults in the UK have high blood pressure
• Every five minutes, someone is admitted to hospital in the UK for a heart attack
  
• Around 110,000 people suffer a heart attack in the UK every year
• It's estimated that around one million men in the UK have survived a heart attack

1. Quit smoking

You’re between 2 and 4 times more likely to have a heart attack if you smoke. To further emphasise the link between smoking and our heart health, it's also estimated that 1 in 5 smoking-related deaths are caused by heart disease.

Smoking is bad for our heart because the chemicals in tobacco and the carbon monoxide that's produced when it's burned narrow the arteries and reduce the amount of oxygen in our blood, which can increase our risk of blood clots and heart attacks.

While many of us shrug off the health risks of smoking when we're young, the damage it does to every aspect of our body soon becomes evident as we get older.

The good news is that when you quit, your risk of heart-related complications starts to drastically drop:

• After 1 year, risk of heart attack halves compared to a smoker's
• After 10 years, risk of death from lung cancer falls to half that of a smoker
• After 15 years, risk of heart attack falls to the same as someone who has never smoked

What about vaping?

Vaping is often seen as a 'healthier' alternative to smoking cigarettes. While this may be true, it's important to remember that no smoking habit is healthy, and that we currently believe vaping is simply less harmful than smoking tobacco.

The truth is that because smoking cessation aids are still relatively new, researchers haven't had time to fully understand the damage these products could be doing to our hearts yet.

What we do know is that vapes and e-cigarettes have the potential to cause significant negative damage to our cardiovascular and respiratory health.

If you're concerned about the side effects of vaping or want to quit smoking without the use of smoking cessation aids but don't know where to start, book an appointment with your GP and talk to them about how you're feeling and what you'd like to achieve.

2. Exercise more regularly

Exercise and physical activity are essential for reducing our risk of heart disease.

When we exercise, our heart works harder and gets stronger and more efficient at pumping blood. This improves circulation by lowering blood pressure and reducing the resistance in our blood vessels.

Over time, a stronger heart requires less effort to pump blood, leading to lower resting heart rates and less strain on the cardiovascular system.

In addition to heart-specific benefits, exercise also supports healthy cholesterol levels by increasing the amount of HDL (the “good” cholesterol) and lowering the amount of LDL (the “bad” cholesterol) in our blood, which can otherwise build up in arteries and lead to blockages.

How much should I be doing?

The NHS recommends adults aged 19 to 64 engage in 150 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity every week.

This could include:

• Low-impact exercise like walking or swimming
• Running
• Strength training or weight lifting
• Yoga or Pilates

If this doesn't seem achievable for you right now, remember that doing anything is better than doing nothing. If someone currently does no physical exercise at all, getting up and walking for ten minutes every day is going to have a noticeable impact over the course of a month.

If you have been diagnosed heart disease or if you have high blood pressure, always consult your doctor or cardiologist before starting a new physical activity routine. This is vital, as some forms of exercise are not suitable for people on certain classes of medication.

3. Avoid processed food where possible

Processed foods are loaded with added sugar, unhealthy fats, and excess salt, all of which can contribute to high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, and weight gain.

A heart-healthy diet on the other hand, includes lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, whole foods, plenty of whole grains, lean proteins, and a range of healthy fats like those found in nuts, seeds, and olive oil.

Despite widespread awareness of the benefits of a balanced diet, only about a quarter of adults regularly consume the recommended five portions of fruits and vegetables per day.

Increasing fruit and vegetable intake is essential, as these foods provide fiber, antioxidants, and essential nutrients that support healthy blood pressure and reduce inflammation, both crucial for heart health.

What about alcohol?

Equally important is a sensible approach to alcohol, which is often overlooked when we think about 'processed' food and drink.

The recommended guidelines suggest no more than 14 units of alcohol per week, spread over several days, however around 5% of men in the UK regularly exceed 50 units a week, which is the equivalent of 50 pints of beer, 5 and a half bottles of wine, or 20 shots.

Reducing alcohol intake, or choosing alcohol-free alternatives, can significantly lower blood pressure and support weight management, making it easier to maintain a heart-healthy lifestyle.

4. Get your heart checked

Over a quarter of UK adults have high blood pressure, but as many as half of them don't seek any treatment for the condition.

Regular heart check-ups are one of the best ways to detect and manage risk factors that may not have obvious symptoms but can lead to serious heart issues if left untreated.

Blood pressure checks can help identify elevated levels before symptoms develop, allowing for early intervention with lifestyle adjustments or medication if necessary.

If you’re over 40 or have a family history of heart disease, aim to see a GP at least once every five years, or more frequently if you have additional risk factors like obesity, a history of smoking, or diabetes. During these visits, don’t hesitate to ask questions about your heart health numbers and what they mean.

5. Get a good night's sleep

Sleep helps lower our heart rate and blood pressure, reducing pressure on the heart. When sleep is consistently cut short, these restorative processes are interrupted, making the heart work harder, even when we're resting.

When we're sleep-deprived, our body’s insulin sensitivity also decreases, raising our risk of type 2 diabetes, which frequently co-occurs alongside heart disease. Poor sleep can lead to weight gain too, as it disrupts the regulation of hormones that control hunger and appetite.

Research also shows that men who regularly sleep less than six hours a night have a higher risk of high blood pressure, which is a significant factor in heart disease. Missing out on sleep regularly also puts us more at risk of obesity, high blood pressure, heart attack, diabetes, and depression.

Last updated Thursday 31 October 2024

First published on Friday 11 September 2015