Photos: The seven guidelines for heart health

If you want to improve the health and fitness of your heart and blood vessels, you can. Basic lifestyle changes involving diet, exercise and smoking can make a big difference. It also helps to keep an eye on some key numbers, including blood pressure, cholesterol, body mass index and blood glucose.

Last year, the American Heart Assn. winnowed all this advice into a checklist called Life’s Simple Seven. For each item on the list, the AHA set criteria that define ideal cardiovascular health. In a nationwide study of nearly 18,000 adults, those who adhered to at least five of the criteria had a 55% lower risk of death over five years than those who met none.

Here’s a closer look at the new guidelines for heart health.

By Jill U. Adams / Special to the Los Angeles Times
Photo Gallery: Kelsey Ramos / Los Angeles Times (Clockwise from top left: Damon Winter, Reuben Munoz, Jay L. Clendenin, Gary Friedman / all Los Angeles Times)

March 13, 2014 11:50 AM PT

Not only will physical activity help in the weight category, it also reduces blood pressure, increases HDL and improves the bodys sensitivity to insulin, which helps control blood sugar.

The AHA guidelines say to exercise moderately for at least 150 minutes per week or exercise vigorously for at least 75 minutes per week.

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Dont do it. This is at the top of the list because the AHA calls smoking the most important preventable cause of premature death in the United States. It increases the risk of coronary heart disease, in which the vessels that carry blood and oxygen to the heart are narrowed due to a buildup of plaque. Smoking also decreases levels of HDL, the so-called good cholesterol, and makes the blood more likely to form dangerous clots, among other problems.

To meet the AHA criteria, you should be a nonsmoker or have quit for at least one year.

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The guidelines advise eating at least 4 1/2 cups of fruits and vegetables per day, at least 3 ounces of whole grains per day, at least two servings of fish each week, less than 1,500 milligrams of sodium per day and no more than 450 calories worth of sugar-sweetened beverages in a week. To meet the heart-healthy ideal, you should follow at least four of these five rules.

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Studies have shown that diets high in fruits and vegetables can reduce high blood pressure and other risk factors for heart disease. Its not clear whether the foods themselves make that happen or whether people who eat lots of fruits and vegetables also eat fewer unhealthful foods.

The sodium goal is lower than in previous guidelines, but new data support the 1,500 mg daily limit.

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Weight also correlates with heart disease. Too much fat — especially around the waist — increases the risks of high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.

Body mass index is a measure of weight relative to height. Though it’s an imperfect measure of a healthy weight, it does a good job of correlating with body fat. To calculate BMI, multiply your weight (in pounds) by 703, and divide that number by the square of your height (in inches). The AHA recommends a BMI below 25.

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There are three important physiologic measures that increase the risk of heart disease if they rise above the normal range: blood pressure, blood cholesterol levels and blood glucose.

Studies show that people who keep all three factors in the healthy range reduced their risk of death from cardiovascular disease over 16 to 22 years by 70% to 85% compared with people with at least one measure in a high-risk range.

The AHA guidelines say that fasting blood glucose should be below 100 mg/dL of blood.

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