Heart disease claims the lives of around 500,000 people per year and is a bigger killer than all the forms of cancer combined.Although this disease does build up as people grow older,the resulting impact is often quite sudden and can lead to massive heart attacks.

Here are some ways that we can adopt in order to lower the risk of you developing or at least slowing down heart disease.

1. Following a Healthy Diet that is easy on the heart - This type of diet means eating a lot of vegetables,fruits and whole grains. Eating 3 to 4 fish meals a week gives you a great source of omega-3 fats, which also helps protect against cardiovascular disease and aids in lowering blood pressure. Incorporating more soy protien and replacing trans fats, from margarine and processed food,with olive oil or polyunsaturated fats does help in lowering cholesterol levels.

2. Stop Smoking - Enrolling in a effective smoking cessation program is the best move to make in lowering your risk factor because people who smoke increases this factor dramatically.

3.Controlling Diabetes - A huge percentage of people with diabetes die from some form of heart disease so it is critical to keep your blood sugar levels under control through a regimen of proper dieting,exercise and other healthy choices.

4. Eliminate Excess Pounds - an overweight person always has elevated bad cholesterol and high levels of triglicerides which in turn contributes to high blood pressure. If you have excess body weight around your abdominal area, you are a candidate in developing heart disease and stroke even though you dont have other risk factors. To lose weight and keep it off,your caloric intake should be no less than 1200 - 1500 calories per day. This caloric counting with proper exercise of at least 30 minutes on most days of the week can help do the trick.

5. Cut Down on the Booze - excessive alcohol intake is a proven risk factor for heart disease. It will raise blood pressure,can cause heart attacks, strokes and elevates trigliceride levels. However,controlled drinking - drinking one glass of red wine daily- has been proven to give healthy benefits, including prevention of cardiovascular disease and some forms of cancer.

6. De- Stress Yourself - How you handle stress does contribute to the prevention or developement of heart disease. If you find yourself under alot of pressure and you are about to get unglued responding to stressors,its now time for you to take life slowly and decompress. Prioritizing projects and using effective stress managment techniques will do the work.