Healthy lifestyle is still key for preventing heart disease

Lifestyle changes are key to reduce your risk of heart disease, whether you take a statin or not. To reduce your risk:

• Quit smoking and avoid secondhand smoke.
• Eat a healthy diet rich in vegetables, fruits, legumes, fish and whole grains.
• Limit the amount of saturated fat, trans fat, refined carbohydrates and salt you eat.
• Be physically active more often and sit less.
• Maintain a healthy weight.

If your cholesterol — particularly the LDL ("bad") type — stays high after you make healthy lifestyle changes, statins might be an option for you.