People in my family keep dying of heart attacks.

[apoclater]

Another one of my uncles died today from a heart attack. Now it's been two grandfathers, four uncles, and my dad that have had one or more massive heart attacks (most commonly called "widow makers"). It's scares the hell out of me because it isn't like cancer where you find out, occasionally have a chance to make amends, and make it out alive--it's completely sudden.

I'm absolutely devastated, but I also want to make sure my entire family understands what they need to be doing to prevent these things. Feel free to add to this list of "big hits" that I need to make sure I and my family are committing to:

-Eating a paleo/primal diet

-Taking Omega-3 supplements

-Exercising in some form for 30 min a day

What else?

[morethanjustamom]

Not smoking, that's a big one.

Moderating alcohol consumption.

Fwiw, paleo/primal isn't a miracle cure for heart attacks. One can still eat whole grains and exercise and be heart healthy. It's just that "whole grains" is often translate by the uninformed as "anything in the store that says whole grain", which is far from the truth. I think of all these things, eliminating unhealthy fats (trans fats, fake fats like margarine, etc.) and replacing them with healthy fats (olive oil, avocados, coconut oil, ghee) and exercising are the top two. The heart is a muscle, it's important to keep it in good shape.

[Elastigirl]

8 hours of sleep a night

not be in constant stress mode-enjoy life

[VorJoshigan]

I'm sorry for your loss.

I'll double down on the sleep suggestion. Also, the studies I've seen indicate that the low-carb thing works better for people who are insulin resistant than it does for other members of the population. It might be worth seeing if your family qualifies for that.

I've also been seeing a lot of information in the media about inflammation - that it can be more harmful than fatty deposits in the arteries.

[Tola Seng]

apoclater, sorry about your losses. I commend you for taking the initiative to learn empower yourself and your family!

While hereditary does play a part, the major risk factors have to do with lifestyle. The goal is quite simply, live a healthy life - the 3 main things have been covered - proper diet, regular exercise and no smoking.

The major goal of all of these "steps" is to basically bring your body fat levels down, not BMI, but body fat. Studies have consistently shown that the level of "abdominal" body fat is one of the best markers to determine heart health. A healthy, active lifestyle will naturally lead to a low body fat level. So, just focus on that.

Don't be scared about heart attacks. Unless, its due to something hereditary - there is a lot that can be done to prevent it. And heart attacks, while they "appear" to come out of the blue - actually build up slowly over time, with the formation of arterial plaques, due to the unhealthy lifestyle choices we've discussed. Obesity, diabetes and a sedentary lifestyle don't happen "out-of-the-blue."

Cancer, on the other hand, well - you don't really see any signs of it, until you have it...

[Oogiem]

My family also has a big history of heart attacks, my mother died at age 60 from one, father at 65 and I've lost several uncles and aunts and cousins so I'm with you on the risks. Cholesterol is not the be all end all for susceptibility, CRP is the marker the doctors are using now for me based on family history so I'd look at that. Lower body fat in general is good as is relatively low weight for your height. However, there are elite athletes who die from sudden unexpected heart attacks so it's no cure all either. Others have covered most of the important things re diet and basic fitness, I'd ad to be sure that thyroid and insulin levels are appropriate for each person, get them checked regularly and controlled if needed.

[IfItPlugsIn]

Look into the possibility of a genetic marker for this. My husband's family has history of heart issues that was recently identified as genetic. Pretty much everyone in his family had to get pacemakers before the age of 50 or die of a "heart attack." This may be a rare thing, but it could give you the advance notice you mentioned. Especially if those that have passed were otherwise healthy, it may be a possibility.

[llsoszynski@gmail.com]

Sorry for your losses.

My little amount of input, stay away from partially hydrogenated oils (tran fat, it won't say it on the nutrition label that there's trans fat in it in alot of foods, but if you see partially hydrogenated anything, stay away). Also studies show that peanut oil can clog up those arteries and be a factor in heart attacks and strokes. So for those days where you can't stick 100% paleo and have to grab something quick, just make sure you stay away from these.

[caitlinerinm]

I completely understand where you're coming from!

My uncle died of a heart attack when he was 35 and my dad had one back in 07, but is still alive, thank God. One of the best things that you can do for yourself is to make an appointment with a cardiologist and be sure to go through all of the tests to see how healthy your heart is. Although fitness is a big part of staying away from heart attacks, sometimes you just can't avoid it (which is also something your family should be aware of). My dad was working out every day, not eating any processed foods, and was in the best shape he had been in since college when he had his. Also, try and build up your cardio without going overboard. Too much, too fast is never good for your heart.