From the Guidelines
To improve your heart health, focus on adopting a Mediterranean-style diet, as recommended by the most recent and highest quality study 1, which suggests considering a plant-based diet to reduce cardiovascular risk. This approach is further supported by other studies, such as 1, which highlights the effectiveness of the DASH diet, inspired by the Mediterranean diet, in improving blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Key components of a heart-healthy diet include:
- Fruits
- Vegetables
- Whole grains
- Lean proteins
- Healthy fats like those found in olive oil, nuts, and fatty fish It is also crucial to limit sodium to less than 2,300 mg daily and reduce processed foods, saturated fats, and added sugars. Regular physical activity, aiming for at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise weekly, is also essential, as noted in 1, which emphasizes the importance of physical activity in maintaining cardiovascular fitness and healthy weight. Additionally, maintaining a healthy weight, monitoring blood pressure, and keeping it below 120/80 mmHg, quitting smoking, limiting alcohol consumption, managing stress, and getting 7-9 hours of quality sleep nightly are all vital components of a heart-healthy lifestyle, as outlined in various studies, including 1, 1, and 1. Regular check-ups to monitor cholesterol levels, aiming for total cholesterol under 200 mg/dL, LDL under 100 mg/dL, and HDL above 40 mg/dL for men and 50 mg/dL for women, are also important, as these lifestyle changes work together to reduce inflammation, improve blood vessel function, lower blood pressure, and strengthen your heart muscle, significantly reducing your risk of heart disease.
From the FDA Drug Label
Atorvastatin calcium tablets are used: to reduce the risk of: heart attack, stroke, certain types of heart surgery and chest pain in adults who do not have heart disease but have other multiple risk factors for heart disease.
Encourage patients to optimize lifestyle measures, including regular exercise, maintaining a healthy body weight, and making healthy food choices
To improve your heart health, you can take the following steps:
- Regular exercise: Engage in physical activities to reduce the risk of heart disease.
- Maintain a healthy body weight: Aim for a healthy weight to decrease the risk of heart disease.
- Make healthy food choices: Eat a balanced diet to reduce the risk of heart disease. Additionally, consider taking atorvastatin calcium tablets as prescribed by your healthcare provider to reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke, and other heart-related conditions 2.
From the Research
Improving Heart Health
To improve heart health, several lifestyle modifications can be made. These include:
- Increasing physical activity, as recommended by the American Heart Association 3
- Making dietary changes, such as reducing total fat, saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol, and increasing dietary fiber, fruit, and vegetables 4
- Adopting a Mediterranean or "prudent" dietary pattern over the prevailing "western" dietary pattern 4
- Reducing salt intake, losing weight, moderating alcohol intake, and increasing potassium intake 5
- Following the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, which emphasizes fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy products 5
Additional Lifestyle Modifications
Other lifestyle modifications that can help improve heart health include:
- Stopping smoking 6
- Engaging in regular physical exercise 6
- Practicing relaxation therapies, such as yoga 6
- Getting enough sleep and managing stress
- Incorporating self-regulation techniques, such as goal setting, self-monitoring, planning, and feedback techniques, into lifestyle modification programs 7
Benefits of Lifestyle Modifications
Lifestyle modifications can have numerous benefits for heart health, including: