Risk factors are things that can raise your risk of developing heart conditions.
The more risk factors you have, the more likely you are to develop heart and circulatory diseases like heart attack or stroke.
With the help of patients and healthcare professionals, we've created a series of leaflets about the main risk factors of heart and circulatory diseases. We explain what they are, how they happen and how they can lead to heart attack or stroke.
The good news is that there are many things you can do to reduce your risk. Making small changes to your daily routine can make a big difference to your heart health - which in the long term could save your life.
Understanding physical activity
This short leaflet explains why being inactive increases your risk of heart and circulatory diseases. It tells you how active you need to be to help your heart, and gives you tips for building physical activity into your everyday life.
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To get you moving...
- do our 10 minute online living room workout - no equipment needed!
- find out more about getting active
- step up your activity
Understanding smoking
This short leaflet explains how smoking increases your risk of heart and circulatory diseases, and describes the many benefits of quitting. It also gives you tips for quitting and tells you how to find people who can help you.
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Quit today...
- find support from other quitters on our No Smoking Day forum
- find your local NHS Stop smoking service
Understanding stress
This short leaflet explains the link between stress and unhealthy habits that increase your risk of heart and circulatory diseases. It also gives you tips to help you lower your stress levels to keep your body and mind healthy.
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You can...
- hear from Colin on how he managed his stress
- find out more about depression and other mental health problems from Mind
Understanding blood pressure
This short leaflet is for people who have been told they have high blood pressure, or are at risk of having it. It explains what high blood pressure is, what can cause it, and what you can do to lower it.
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To find out more you can...
- check out our in-depth blood pressure booklet
- read more about high blood pressure, eating well, being active and quitting smoking.
Understanding cholesterol
This is a short leaflet for people with high cholesterol. We explain why it's important to lower your cholesterol and give you simple tips for keeping your heart healthy.
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To find out more you can...
- check out our free booklet Reducing your blood cholesterol for more detailed information about high cholesterol
- read more about high blood pressure, eating well, being active and quitting smoking
Understanding Type 2 diabetes
This short leaflet explains how diabetes affects your heart and suggests some easy actions you can take to keep your heart healthy.
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To find out more you can...
- read more about eating well, being active and quitting smoking
- hear from Lyn about how she manages her diabetes
- check out our free booklet Diabetes and your heart for more detailed information about diabetes.
Understanding your weight
This short leaflet explains how being overweight increases your risk of heart and circulatory diseases, and why where you carry excess weight is important. It tells you how to measure your weight and gives you tips for keeping a healthy weight.
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For more ways to keep your weight healthy...
- use our weight loss guide for more practical help
- check out our booklet on healthy eating
- find out more about getting active.
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