The leading cause of death in North America and most developed countries is due to cardiovascular disease, which includes coronary heart disease, stroke and peripheral vascular disease. The good news is, the majority of known risk factors for cardiovascular disease are modifiable. You could reduce your risk for a heart attack or stroke by more than 80% by maintaining an idea body weight, eating a healthy diet, regular exercise, and not smoking.

Certain medical conditions are known to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. These include hypertension, diabetes and high cholesterol. While some individuals may inherit a tendency to develop these conditions they can all be treated to a large extent by life style modifications. If your blood pressure, sugar levels and cholesterol are not at or below normal values, your doctor may recommend treatment with medication. Although all drugs carry with them a risk of sideeffects,it is believed that it is far riskier to not treat these conditions. Furthermore, your physician may recommend a low dose aspirin on a daily basis if considered to be at increased risk for a cardiovascular event.

It is essential that you see your physician for an annual check up so that you can have your blood pressure, sugar levels and cholesterol checked. These are often referred to as the "silent killers" as they frequently do not present with any symptoms until the 'catastrophic' event occurs.

There is no question that when it comes to your health "an ounce of prevention" is definitely worth "a pound of cure".