Check
Your Healthy Heart I.Q.
Prepared by the
National
Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
Answer "true"
or "false" to the following questions to test your knowledge of heart disease
and its risk factors. Check the answers and explanations by clicking on the
blue links to see how
well you do.
T
F 1. The risk factors for heart disease that
you can do something about are: high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol,
smoking, obesity, and physical inactivity.
T
F 2. A stroke is often the first symptom of
high blood pressure, and a heart attack is often the first symptom of high
blood cholesterol.
T
F 3. A blood pressure greater than or equal to
140/90 mm Hg is generally considered to be high.
T
F 4. High blood pressure affects the same
number of blacks as it does whites.
T
F 5. The best ways to treat and control high
blood pressure are to control your weight, exercise, eat less salt (sodium),
restrict your intake of alcohol, and take your high blood pressure medicine, if
prescribed by your doctor.
T
F 6. A blood
cholesterol of 240 mg/dL is desirable for adults.
T
F 7. The most effective dietary way to lower
the level of your blood cholesterol is the eat foods low in
cholesterol.
T
F 8. Lowering blood cholesterol levels can
help people who have already had a heart attack.
T
F 9. Only children from families at high risk
of heart disease need to have their blood cholesterol levels
checked.
T F 10. Smoking is a major
risk factor for four of the five leading causes of death including heart
attack, stroke, cancer, and lung diseases such as emphysema and
bronchitis.
T F 11. If you have had a
heart attack, quitting smoking can help reduce your chances of having a second
attack.
T F 12. Someone who has smoked
for 30 to 40 years probably will not be able to quit
smoking.
T F 13. The best way to lose
weight is to increase physical activity and eat fewer
calories.
T F 14. Heart disease is the
leading killer of men and women in the United States.
Healthy Heart I.Q.
1. TRUE High blood pressure, smoking,
and high blood cholesterol are the three most important risk factors for heart
disease. On the average, each one doubles your chance of developing heart
disease. So, a person who has all three of the risk factors is 8 times more
likely to developheart disease than someone who has none. Obesity increases the
likelihood of developing high blood cholesterol and high blood pressure, which
increase your risk of heart disease. Physical inactivity increases your risk
for heart attack. Regular exercise and good nutrition are essential to reducing
high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, and overweight. People who
exercise are also more likely to cut down or stop smoking.
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2. TRUE A person with high blood
pressure or high blood cholesterol may feel fine and look great; there are
often no signs that anything is wrong until a stroke or heart attack occurs. To
find out if you have high blood pressure or high blood cholesterol, you should
be tested by a doctor, nurse, or other health professional.
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3. TRUE A blood pressure of 140/90 mm
Hg or greater is generally classified as high blood pressure. However, blood
pressures that fall below 140/90 mm Hg can sometimes be a problem. If the
diastolic pressure, the second or lower number, is between 85-89, a person is
at an increased risk for heart disease or stroke and should have his/her blood
pressure checked at least once a year by a health professional. The higher your
blood pressure, the greater your risk of developing heart disease or stroke.
Controlling high blood pressure reduces your risk.
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4. FALSE High blood pressure is more
common in blacks than whites. It affects 29 out of every 100 black adults
compared to 26 out of every 100 white adults. Also, with aging, high blood
pressure is generally more severe among blacks then among whites, and therefore
causes more strokes, heart disease, and kidney failure.
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5. TRUE Recent studies show that
lifestyle changes can help keep blood pressure levels normal even into advanced
age and are important in treating and preventing high blood pressure. Limit
high-salt foods which include many snack foods, such as potato chips, salted
pretzels, and salted crackers; processed foods, such as canned soups; and
condiments, such as ketchup and soy sauce. Also, it is extremely important to
take blood pressure medication, if prescribed by your doctor, to make sure your
blood pressure stays under control.
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6. FALSE A total blood cholesterol of
under 200 mg/dL is desirable and usually puts you at a lower risk for heart
disease. A blood cholesterol level of 240 mg/dL or above is high and increases
your risk of heart disease. If your cholesterol level is high, your doctor will
want to check your levels of LDL-cholesterol ("bad" cholesterol) and HDL-
cholesterol ("good" cholesterol. A HIGH level of LDL-cholesterol increases your
risk for heart disease, as does a LOW level of HDL-cholesterol. A cholesterol
level of 200-239 mg/dL is considered borderline-high and usually increases your
risk for heart disease. If your cholesterol is borderline-high, you should
speak to your doctor to see if additional cholesterol tests are needed. All
adults 20 years of age or older should have their blood cholesterol level
checked at least once every 5 years.
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7. FALSE Reducing the amount of
cholesterol in your diet is important; however, eating foods low in saturated
fat is the most effective dietary way to lower blood cholesterol levels, along
with eating less total fat and cholesterol. Choose low-saturated fat foods,
such as grains, fruits, and vegetables; low-fat or skim milk and milk products;
lean cuts of meat; fish; and chicken. Trim fat from meat before cooking; bake
or broil meat rather than fry; use less fat and oil; and take the skin off
chicken and turkey. Reducing overweight will also help lower your level of LDL-
cholesterol as well as increase your level of HDL-
cholesterol.
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8. TRUE People who have had one heart
attack are at much higher risk for a second attack. Reducing blood cholesterol
levels can greatly slow down (and, in some people, even reverse) the buildup of
cholesterol and fat in the walls of the arteries and significantly reduce the
chances of a second heart attack.
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9. TRUE Children from "high risk"
families, in which a parent has high blood cholesterol (240 mg/dL or above) or
in which a parent or grandparent has had heart disease at an early age (at 55
years of age or younger), should have their cholesterol levels tested. If a
child from such a family has a cholesterol level that is high, it should be
lowered under medical supervision, primarily with diet, to reduce the risk of
developing heart disease as an adult. For most children, who are not from
high-risk families, the best way to reduce the risk of adult heart disease is
to follow a low-saturated fat, low cholesterol eating pattern. All children
over the age of 2 years and all adults should adopt a heart-healthy eating
pattern as a principal way of reducing coronary heart
disease.
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10. TRUE Heavy smokers are 2 to 4
times more likely to have a heart attack than nonsmokers, and the heart attack
death rate among all smokers is 70 percent greater than that of nonsmokers.
Older male smokers are also nearly twice as likely to die from stroke than
older men who do not smoke, and these odds are nearly as high for older female
smokers. Further, the risk of dying from lung cancer is 22 times higher for
male smokers than male nonsmokers and 12 times higher for female smokers than
female nonsmokers. Finally, 80 percent of all deaths from emphysema and
bronchitis are directly due to smoking.
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11. TRUE One year after quitting,
ex-smokers cut their extra risk for heart attack by about half or more, and
eventually the risk will return to normal in healthy ex-smokers. Even if you
have already had a heart attack, you can reduce your chances of a second attack
if you quit smoking. Ex-smokers can also reduce their risk of smoke and cancer,
improve blood flow and lung function, and help stop diseases like emphysema and
bronchitis from getting worse.
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12. FALSE Older smokers are more
likely to succeed at quitting smoking than younger smokers. Quitting helps
relieve smoking-related symptoms like shortness of breath, coughing, and chest
pain. Many quit to avoid further health problems and take control of their
lives.
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13. TRUE Weight control is a
question of balance. You get calories from the foods you eat. You burn off
calories by exercising. Cutting down on calories, especially calories from fat,
is key to losing weight. Combining this with a regular physical activity, like
walking, cycling, jogging, or swimming, not only can help in losing weight but
also in maintaining weight loss. A steady weight loss of 1/2 to 1 pounds a week
is safe for most adults, and the weight is more likely to stay off over the
long run. Losing weight, if you are overweight, may also reduce your blood
pressure, lower your LDL-cholesterol, and raise your HDL- cholesterol. Being
physically active and eating fewer calories will also help you control your
weight if you quit smoking. 14. TRUE Coronary heart disease is the #1 killer in
the United States. Approximately 489,000 Americans died of coronary heart
disease in 1990, and approximately half of the deaths were
women.
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14. True
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Public Health Service
NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH
NIH Publication No. 93-2724
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