My Recommendations
Cardiovascular risk factors are personal characteristics or lifestyle habits that work together to increase our chances of developing cardiovascular disease such as a heart attack or a stroke, and developing diabetes. Even our age and our gender contribute to our risk level. You can’t do anything about your age, gender, medical history or family history, but there are a lot of other risk factors that you have control over and can modify. This site will tell you how and give you some ideas to get you started.
Cardiovascular risk factors tend to multiply each other’s effects, which is bad news if you have a lot of risk factors but good news if you’re trying to improve any of them. Even small changes can make a big difference to your risk level. By working to maintain your own health and becoming an active participant in your health care team, you can reduce your risk of heart disease, stroke and other conditions and improve your chances of living a long, healthy life.
For more detailed information about cardiovascular disease and cardiovascular risk factors, click on any of the following links.
Cardiovascular disease
- What is cardiovascular disease?
- Factors that increase cardiovascular risk
- Myths about cardiovascular disease
- Different treatments for different people
- Myths about healthy eating
- Participate in your own health care
High blood cholesterol:
- Role of cholesterol in cardiovascular disease
- About cholesterol testing
- Who should be tested for high blood cholesterol
- Canadian cholesterol recommendations
- Lifestyle changes alone or lifestyle changes plus medication
- Cholesterol-lowering medications
High blood pressure:
- Role of blood pressure in cardiovascular disease
- Healthy (normal) blood pressure levels
- Canadian blood pressure recommendations
- Blood pressure-lowering medications
Diabetes:
- Role of diabetes in cardiovascular disease
- Definition of diabetes
- Canadian diabetes guidelines
- Diabetes medications
Smoking:
- Role of smoking in cardiovascular disease
- How to become smoke-free
- Medications that can help smokers become smoke-free
Overweight:
Abdominal obesity:
Physically Inactive:
FAQ & Additional Information
- FAQ: cardiovascular disease
- FAQ: cholesterol
- FAQ: blood pressure
- FAQ: diabetes
- FAQ: smoking
- Glossary
- Useful links
- About Making the Connection
- Our privacy policy
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