Adherence

Maintaining five specific healthy lifestyle factors (BMI <25, moderate/no alcohol, healthy diet, high physical activity, never smoking) from young adulthood (ages 18-30) through middle age (ages 38-45) is strongly associated with achieving a low cardiovascular disease risk profile in middle age.

To maximize your cardiovascular health in middle age, adopt and maintain five key habits starting as early as possible: keep your BMI under 25, never smoke, drink alcohol moderately or not at all, eat a diet high in fiber/potassium/calcium and low in saturated fat, and engage in regular physical activity. While starting young is ideal, adopting these habits later in life still significantly improves your risk profile compared to not having them.