LORI MOSCA, MD: First of all, anyone who has already had a heart attack or have other evidence of cardiovascular disease such as having had a stroke, an abdominal aortic aneurysm, having peripheral arterial disease -- that means blockages in the lower extremities.
In addition, anyone who has diabetes individuals with chronic kidney disease or very poor kidney function.
ANNOUNCER: But for others determining risk requires a bit of detective work. So how do you know which category you fall into?
LORI MOSCA, MD: Well, it turns out that it's pretty easy because we have something called the Framingham Risk Calculator where you can actually just plug in your numbers, your cholesterol numbers, your blood pressure, your age, what your gender is, whether or not you smoke, and out pops a number. And this number gets converted into the percent likelihood that you will have a heart attack or die of heart disease in the next ten years.
ANNOUNCER: But there is one thing everyone should be doing. Whether you are at high, intermediate or low risk.
LORI MOSCA, MD: "L" is the second letter in ALOHA, and it stands for "lifestyle." It is without a doubt something that is within the control of each one of us and if we eat heart healthy, we get regular physical activity, we don't smoke and we maintain a nice healthy weight. We also know that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, high in fiber, low in saturated fat goes a long way to prevent heart disease.
ANNOUNCER: Such lifestyle changes can help you maintain a healthy weight.
