In the last 10 years, CVD has been the leading cause of hospital admissions and death in Malaysia.

The National Health and Morbidity survey showed that more than 61 per cent of Malaysians had one risk factor for CVD or more.

According to the American Heart Association (AHA), several risk factors for CVD have been identified.

Some of them can be modified, treated or controlled, and some can't. The more risk factors you have, the greater your chance of developing coronary heart disease.

Major risk factors that can't be changed are age, gender and heredity. Over 80 per cent of people who die of coronary heart disease are 65 years or older.

Men have a greater risk of developing heart attack as compared to women and men also develop heart attacks earlier in life.

Heart disease risk is higher among the Indians and Malays in Malaysia. This is partly due to higher rates of obesity and diabetes.

However, there are risk factors that you can modify, treat or control which include:

* Tobacco smoke - Smokers' risk of developing coronary heart disease is two to four times that of non-smokers.

* High blood cholesterol - As blood cholesterol rises, so does risk of coronary heart disease.

* High blood pressure - High blood pressure increases the heart's workload, causing the heart to thicken and become stiffer. It also increases your risk of stroke and heart attack.

* Physical inactivity - Regular and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity helps prevent heart and blood vessel disease.

* Obesity and overweight - People who have excess body fat, especially fat accumulated around the waist are likely to develop heart disease and stroke even if they have no other risk factors. Excess weight stresses the heart.

* Diabetes mellitus - Diabetes seriously increases your risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

* Stress - Some scientists have noted a relationship between coronary heart disease, risk and stress.

* Alcohol intake - Drinking too much alcohol can raise blood pressure, cause heart failure and may lead to stroke. It can also contribute to high triglyceride levels, irregular heartbeats and other chronic diseases.

Below is a list of easy-to-practise tips on how to manage CVD effectively:

* Trim all visible fat from beef and poultry, and remove the skin from poultry before eating. Bake, broil, or roast meat instead of deep-fat frying them.

* Avoid fat-laden gravies and sauces. Use yoghurt instead of sour cream in dips and toppings. Use fresh fruit for dessert instead of rich cakes and sweets.

* If pan or stir frying, use small amounts of vegetable oils such as canola, safflower oil or olive oil.

* Minimise the use of margarine as it contains partially hydrogenated oils (trans-fatty acids).

* Limit consumption of foods that contain palm, palm kernel, and coconut oils, lard, butter, unidentified shortening, egg-yolk solids, and whole-milk solids. Cut down on baked goods made from these ingredients as well as deep-fried ones such as doughnuts.

* Shrimp, lobster, and other shellfish may be eaten occasionally because they are lower in cholesterol than previously thought, and do not contain too much saturated fat.

* Do incorporate oat fibre into your diet, for example, in oat bran muffins. Look for the words "whole wheat" or "whole grain" at the top of the ingredient list when buying breads and cereals.

* Limit intake of organ meats that are very high in cholesterol, such as liver, kidneys, brain, and sweetbreads.

* Take health supplements that help lower cholesterol such as fish oil, red yeast rice, guggulipid and Coenzyme Q10.

* Exercise is a very important weapon in the fight against high cholesterol and heart disease. Studies have proven that exercising regularly (about 30 minutes between three and five times a week) elevates HDL (the ?good? cholesterol) levels, therefore removing excess LDL (the ?bad? cholesterol) from the blood. The activities you could do are aerobics, swimming, weight lifting, hiking, and dancing.

Walk-A-Hunt: Mobility for your joints!

Joining a treasure hunt on foot can be fun! Learn exercises and get nutritional advice from personnel of UKM Medical Centre. Join us on April 27 at Kelana Jaya. Registration fee at RM120 per team of two to four persons. Call 03-7728-7407 for your registration forms or download from www.biolife.com.my. Registration closes on April 10.

* The writer is a pharmacist who is actively involved in the dissemination of information on natural healthcare and holistic therapies. She can be contacted at csyam@streamyx.com