10 Things That Can Affect Your Heart Health

Maybe you've never thought much about clogged arteries. Or perhaps you've already discussed statins (cholesterol-lowering drugs) with your doctor. Whether you've started a journey toward a healthier heart or don't know where to begin, we offer these 10 tips to help steer you and your cholesterol level the right waydown.

1. Get screened
You've got to start somewhere, and what better place than your doctor's office? In addition to mammograms, blood glucose tests or prostate exams, plan on adding a cholesterol test to your physical examination list.

Starting at age 20, you should get your cholesterol checked every five years.

What other tests should I be screened for?

2. Tea up

This may not be a surprise anymore, but reports keep coming in that green, black and oolong teas can help increase your good cholesterol (HDL) and block your bad cholesterol (LDL).

Tea-drinking countries around the world enjoy as many as three cups a day. We suggest you start from there.

3. Family (history) matters

Even if you do all of the right things to keep your heart in good form, your family's medical history is still a huge influence on your risk of developing heart disease.

Sorry, you are stuck with the genes youve inherited. But alerting your doctor of your family's medical history is a crucial step in reducing the risk of developing health problems later on in life.

What should your doctor know about your family history?

4. Take your meds, and take them right

You've made it through the first obstacle by seeing your doctor and having some type of medication prescribed. Your next step is to make sure youre following the directions on your meds exactly. Be prepared for what could be a lifelong commitment.

Learn what questions you should ask before leaving with your new prescription.

5. Cranberry cocktail

Add a glass of of cranberry juice to your diet and reap the benefits.

HealthDay reports a study in pigs found cranberry juice powder helped relax blood vessels clogged with high cholesterol and narrowed by atherosclerosis (or the hardening of the arteries). Researchers at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine found that these pigs, born with a defect that gave them high cholesterol, had lower cholesterol levels within six months. These levels were below those of other pigs that had been born with the same defect but did not receive cranberry juice powder, as well as pigs with a normal level of cholesterol and also did not receive cranberry juice powder.

In addition to possibly reducing your risk in heart disease, cranberries have also been connected with preventing urinary tract infections and gastrointestinal viruses.