AgePage

National Institute on Aging

2

Heart Health

Elena keeps an eye on her husband Frank 

to make sure he is taking care of his 

heart. But she was surprised at 

a recent medical appointment 

when Dr. Reyes asked about 

her family’s history of 

heart disease. When 

Dr. Reyes heard that 

Elena’s mother had died after 

a heart attack, he told Elena 

that she too should be following 

a heart healthy lifestyle. He said older 

women, as well as older men, can have 

heart problems. So now, Elena and Frank 

are both taking steps toward heart health.

Your Heart

Your heart is a strong muscle about 

the size of the palm of your hand. Just 

like an engine makes a car go, the heart 

keeps your body running. The heart 

pumps oxygen-rich blood through a 

network of blood vessels called arteries

(taking blood away from the heart) and 

veins (bringing blood back to the heart).

An Aging Heart

Some changes in the heart and blood 

vessels are normal as you grow older. 

But over time, disease can damage your 

blood vessels and your heart.

A common problem for older people

is arteriosclerosis (ahr-teer-ee-o-skluhroh-sis). This is a stiffening of the arteries

that happens, in part, because of 

growing older. Atherosclerosis (ath-uhroh-skluh-roh-sis), the buildup of fatty 

deposits as plaques, is another cause. 

When plaque builds up along the walls 

of arteries, there is less space for blood 

to flow. This makes it harder for blood 

to get to all the parts of the body that 

need it, including the heart itself. 

Other changes to the heart happen 

as you age. For example, to help the 

heart pump blood through stiffer blood 

vessels, some parts of the heart wall 

thicken. The size of the four sections of 

the heart also changes. So do the valves 

(door-like parts that open and close to 

control the flow of blood between those 

sections). The number of heart beats 

each minute when you are resting (the 

heart rate) does not change as you age, 
3 4

but the heart can’t beat as fast when 

you are physically active or stressed as it 

did when you were younger. 

Heart Disease 

There are many different kinds 

of heart disease. Plaque buildup is 

often to blame. But there are other 

causes too. For example, choices 

you might make every day can lead 

to damage to artery walls. Do you 

smoke? Do you drink a lot of alcohol? 

Are you overweight? Do you spend 

the day sitting at a desk or in front of 

the television? Do you avoid doing 

exercise? Do you have diabetes or 

high blood pressure that is not under 

control? Are you under a lot of stress? 

If you answered yes to one or more of 

these questions, making changes might 

help you prevent or delay heart 

disease. Things you 

can’t control, like your 

family history, might 

also increase your risk 

of heart disease. But 

even so, leading 

a heart healthy 

lifestyle might help you avoid 

or delay serious illness.

One sign that you are at 

risk for heart disease is your waist 

measurement. Extra fat around the 

middle of your body increases risk. 

A good way to check that is simply to 

measure your waist. A man’s risk of 

heart disease is increased if his waist 

measures more than 40 inches. A 

woman’s risk is increased at 35 inches.

Signs of Heart Disease

Early heart disease often doesn’t 

have symptoms; that’s why regular 

checkups with a healthcare provider 

are important. Your doctor will check 

things like cholesterol, a fat that can 

add to plaques in your arteries, and 

your blood pressure. He might also 

do a blood test for CRP (c-reactive 

protein). You might also have an ECG 

or EKG, an electrocardiogram. This is 

a test that looks at electrical activity in 

your heart.

Everyone should know the outward 

warning signs of heart disease.

Chest pain should be taken 

seriously. Pain in the chest, shoulders, 

arms, neck, jaw, or back can be a 

symptom of heart disease. If you have 

heart disease, you might feel chest 

pain during physical activity. But, 

it can have other causes too, so it is 

important to check with your doctor to 

learn what is triggering yours. 
5 6

Heart Attack? Call 9-1-1

Act in time: Learn the warning signs 

of a heart attack. If you or someone 

you know might be having a heart 

attack, call 9-1-1 right away. You need 

to take an ambulance to the hospital 

as soon as possible. Do not try to drive 

yourself, and do not have someone else 

drive you unless there is no ambulance 

service where you live.

These warning signs can include 

crushing chest pain and/or discomfort 

or pain elsewhere in the upper body, 

nausea, a cold sweat, fainting or 

lightheadedness, or shortness of breath.

Other signs of heart disease include 

a weak or numb feeling on one side of 

the face or body, dizziness, headache, 

shortness of breath, tiredness, and 

swelling in the ankles, feet, legs, stomach, 

and neck. Some people who have a 

problem with their heartbeat may 

report a fluttering in their chest or the 

feeling that their heart is skipping a 

beat or beating too hard. 

Talk to your doctor if you have any 

of these signs. Your healthcare provider 

may want you to see someone who 

specializes in heart disease. This doctor 

is called a cardiologist. 

What Can I Do To Prevent 

Heart Disease?

There are a lot of steps you can 

take to keep your heart healthy.

Try to be more physically active.

Talk to your doctor about the type of 

activities that would be best for you. If 

possible, aim to get at least 30 minutes 

of moderate-intensity activity on most 

or all days of the week. Every day is 

best. It doesn’t have to be done all at 

once—10-minute periods will do. Start 

by doing activities you enjoy—brisk 

walking, dancing, bowling, bicycling, 

or gardening, for example. You might 

want to join an exercise group or even 

a gym. See For More Information to learn 

how to get your free copy of Exercise and 

Physical Activity: Your Everyday Guide from 

the National Institute on Aging, written 

especially for older people.

If you smoke, quit. Smoking adds 

to the damage to artery walls. It’s 

never too late to get some benefit from 

quitting smoking.

Follow a heart healthy diet. Choose 

low-fat foods and those that are low in 

salt. Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, and 

foods high in fiber like those made from 

whole grains. And if you drink alcohol, 

men should not have more than two 

drinks a day and women only one. 
7 8

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood 

Institute (NHLBI) has information 

on two eating plans—Therapeutic 

Lifestyle Changes (TLC) and Dietary 

Approaches to Stop Hypertension 

(DASH). See For More Information to 

learn how to contact NHLBI.

Cholesterol

Cholesterol is a type of fat in some 

foods. Eating fatty foods can raise the 

cholesterol in your blood. High blood 

cholesterol levels could add to the 

plaque in your arteries. Your doctor 

can check the cholesterol in your blood 

with a blood test. This will tell you your 

overall or total cholesterol level as well 

as the LDLs (“bad” cholesterol), HDLs 

(“healthy” cholesterol), and triglycerides 

(another type of fat in the blood that 

puts you at risk for heart problems).

Keep a healthy weight. Your 

healthcare provider will probably 

check your weight and height to learn 

your BMI (body mass index). A BMI 

of 25 or higher means you are at 

greater risk for heart disease as well as 

diabetes (high blood sugar) and other 

health conditions. Following a healthy 

eating plan and being physically active 

might help you. 

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood 

Institute suggests you ask your doctor the 

following questions to learn more about 

your risk for heart disease and what to 

do about it. Be sure to ask what you can 

do if you are told you are at increased 

risk or already have a heart problem.

1. What is my risk for heart disease?

2. What is my blood pressure? 

3. What are my cholesterol numbers? 

(These include total cholesterol, LDL, 

HDL, and triglycerides.) 

4. What are my body mass index (BMI) 

and waist measurement? Do they 

mean that I need to lose weight for my 

health?

5. What is my blood sugar level, 

and does it mean that I’m at risk for 

diabetes? 

6. What other screening tests do I need 

to help protect my heart?

7. What can you do to help me quit 

smoking?

8. How much physical activity do I need 

to help protect my heart?

9. What’s a heart healthy eating plan 

for me?

10. How can I tell if I’m having a heart 

attack? If I think I’m having one, what 

should I do?
9 10

For More Information

Here are some helpful resources:

American Heart Association

7272 Greenville Avenue

Dallas, TX 75231

1-800-242-8721 (toll-free)

www.heart.org

National Heart, Lung, and Blood 

Institute

Health Information Center

P.O. Box 30105

Bethesda, MD 20824-0105

1-301-592-8573

1-240-629-3255 (TTY)

www.nhlbi.nih.gov 

National Library of Medicine

MedlinePlus

www.medlineplus.gov 

National Institutes of Health 

U.S. Department of Health and 

Human Services

August 2010

For more information on health and 

aging, including exercise, high blood 

pressure, stroke, smoking, and diabetes, 

contact:

National Institute on Aging

Information Center 

P.O. Box 8057 

Gaithersburg, MD 20898-8057 

1-800-222-2225 (toll-free)

1-800-222-4225 (TTY/toll-free)

www.nia.nih.gov

www.nia.nih.gov/Espanol

To sign up for regular email alerts 

about new publications and other 

information from the NIA, go to: 

www.nia.nih.gov/HealthInformation.

Visit NIHSeniorHealth 

(www.nihseniorhealth.gov), a seniorfriendly website from the National 

Institute on Aging and the National 

Library of Medicine. This website has 

health information for older adults. 

Special features make it simple to use. 

For example, you can click on a button 

to have the text read out loud or to 

make the type larger.