Educational Materials

There are many ways to keep your heart healthy or improve your heart health. For more information and some ideas on how to improve your Cholesterol, Blood Pressure, Physical Activity, Diabetes, and tips on Quitting Smoking, feel free to download the materials below. There's also information on General Heart Health. Resources are in English and Spanish.

Cholesterol

Cholesterol is fat circulating in the arteries, and having high cholesterol puts you at higher risk for getting heart disease. However, not all cholesterol is bad. The good cholesterol ("HDL") removes plaque from the artery walls. Bad cholesterol (or "LDL") forms plaque that contributes to the development of cardiovascular disease by thickening and hardening the arteries.

Click on the titles below to learn more about where cholesterol comes from and ways to improve cholesterol levels.

Blood Pressure

High blood pressure is another major risk factor for heart disease. It is a condition where the pressure of the blood in the arteries is too high. When your blood pressure is high, your heart has to work too hard. High blood pressure is called the "silent killer" because most people don't even know when they have it. Lowering blood pressure by changes in lifestyle or by medication can lower the risk of heart disease and heart attack. Click on the titles below to learn more about high blood pressure and ways to lower your blood pressure.

Diabetes

Diabetes increases a person’s risk of having a heart attack to the same level as a person who has already had a heart attack. Diabetes is therefore considered a “heart disease risk equivalent.” Therefore, it is extremely important that diabetics do as much as they can to achieve target blood pressure and cholesterol goals.

Physical Activity

Lack of physical activity is related to the development of heart disease. It also can impact other risk factors, including obesity, high blood pressure, high triglycerides, a low level of HDL (good) cholesterol, and diabetes. Regular physical activity can improve risk factor levels.

Healthy Diet

A diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, fish, nuts and legumes is heart healthy! Click on the titles below to learn more about eating heart healthy foods!

Smoking

Smoking increases the risk of heart disease and heart attack. It promotes hardening of the arteries and increases the levels of blood clotting factors. Also, nicotine raises blood pressure, and carbon monoxide reduces the amount of oxygen that blood can carry. Exposure to other people's smoke can increase the risk of heart disease even for nonsmokers.

General Heart Health Info