High Blood Pressure and Cholesterol—What You Need to Know

High Blood Pressure and Cholesterol—What You Need to Know

This podcast is presented by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC – safer, healthier people.

Every 39 seconds, an adult dies from a heart attack, stroke, or related disease. These conditions claim the lives of more than 800,000 adults each year and are largely preventable.

Two leading risks for heart disease and stroke are high blood pressure and high cholesterol—serious conditions that often have no symptoms. Sixty-eight million adults have high blood pressure and 71 million have high cholesterol.

Here's what you can do to reduce your risk:

• Take your prescription medications to control blood pressure or cholesterol.

• Eat a healthy diet that's low in salt, fat, and cholesterol, and full of fresh fruits and vegetables.

• Take a brisk 10-minute walk, three times a day, five days a week.

• Don't smoke. If you do, quit now.

By the end of this podcast, two people have died from heart disease or stroke. You don’t have to be next.

Learn more about how to keep your heart healthy at www.cdc.gov/heartdisease.

For the most accurate health information, visit www.cdc.gov or call 1-800-CDC-INFO, 24/7.