Heart disease on the horizon? Top 8 questions to ask yourself

Worried about heart disease? Not sure if you're at risk? Ask yourself the following 8 questions about what's putting you at higher risk for heart disease. Count how many you answer "yes" to and how many you answer "no" to. The more "yes" responses you have, the higher your risk for heart disease likely is.

1. Do you smoke?
2. Are you overweight (use our BMI calculator if you're not sure)?
3. Do you exercise less than 30 minutes most days of the week?
4. Do you drink more than the recommended maximum alcohol intake? (The recommended maximum for women is 2 drinks per day to a maximum of 10 per week; for men, it's 3 drinks per day to a maximum of 15 per week.)
5. Do you have diabetes?
6. Do you have high cholesterol?
7. Do you have high blood pressure?
8. Do you have difficulty managing or coping with stress?

When it comes to heart disease, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. You can cut your risk by making lifestyle changes according to risk factors that you can change, such as becoming more physically active, eating more sensibly, quitting smoking, and taking off excess weight.

Talk to your doctor if you have concerns about how many risk factors you have for heart disease. Together with your doctor, you can develop an action plan to start living a heart-healthy lifestyle.