American Heart Month: Practice healthy habits, know risk factors to avoid heart disease
Feb. 13, 2026
By Rebekah Hall
University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture
Fast Facts
- February is American Heart Month
- Heart disease is leading cause of death in the United States
- Healthy diet, regular exercise and checkups can reduce risk for heart disease
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LITTLE ROCK — During American Heart Month in February, Cooperative Extension Service experts encourage Arkansans to develop healthy habits and know their risk factors to protect themselves from the leading cause of death in Arkansas — heart disease.
The Arkansas Department of Health reported that heart disease claimed the lives of 8,531 Arkansans in 2024. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute identified heart disease as the leading cause of death in the United States.
Lida Araghi, assistant professor of nutrition and extension foods specialist for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, said “heart disease” is an umbrella term that encompasses several conditions that affect the heart and blood vessels.
“The most common is coronary artery disease, which involves the narrowing of the arteries that supply blood to the heart and can lead to heart attacks,” Araghi said. “The term can also include heart failure, irregular heart rhythms, also known as arrhythmias, valve problems and high blood pressure as a major contributor to heart damage over time.”
Araghi said that heart disease is pervasive in the United States because “many of its key drivers are common among the population and often develop quietly over the years,” including high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, diabetes and prediabetes, tobacco use, excess weight, inactivity and diets high in sodium and added sugars.
“Add in stress, poor sleep and barriers to preventive care, and we end up with a large portion of adults living with at least one risk factor,” Araghi said.
Know your numbers
To better understand your heart disease risk, Araghi said it’s important to “know your numbers” and talk with your health care provider about what those numbers mean for you. These include blood pressure, cholesterol — through a lipid panel blood test — and blood sugar, including your A1C, which reflects your average blood glucose over the past three months.
“A clinician can help interpret these results and discuss next steps for prevention and treatment,” Araghi said.
Family health history and tobacco exposure are also important factors to discuss with your health care provider.
Nina Roofe, assistant vice president of family and consumer sciences for the Division of Agriculture, said one’s waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio can also indicate risk of heart disease.
“A waist size of less than 35 inches for women and less than 40 inches for men is associated with a lower risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute,” Roofe said. “For waist-to-hip ratio, divide your waist circumference in inches by your hip circumference in inches. This indicates where you are carrying your extra weight.
“Unlike fat elsewhere in the body, abdominal fat is associated with chronic inflammation and insulin resistance, which leads to heart disease and type 2 diabetes,” Roofe said.
A waist-to-hip ratio greater than 0.85 for women and greater than 0.95 for men is associated with a greater risk for heart attacks, Roofe said.
Developing a healthy diet
Roofe said diet is “one of the most powerful, modifiable factors in both preventing and managing heart disease.”
“Research shows that a diet based on whole foods can lower our risk for heart disease significantly,” Roofe said. “Reducing sodium, sugars and saturated fats and increasing plant proteins and anti-inflammatory foods improves blood pressure and lowers cholesterol levels.”
Anti-inflammatory foods include berries, leafy greens, salmon, olive oil, walnuts, turmeric, oats, quinoa, dark chocolate and ginger.
Araghi leads extension’s Nourish the Whole Body program, which addresses heart disease risk factors in a variety of ways:
- Blood pressure support: “We emphasize potassium-rich foods, including fruits, vegetables and beans,” Araghi said. “It helps to choose more home-prepared meals and read food labels for sodium ‘hot spots’ such as breads, sauces and processed meats.”
- Cholesterol improvement: “Increase soluble fiber, such as oats, beans, lentils and fruits, and choose unsaturated fats, such as nuts, seeds, olive oil and canola oil,” Araghi said. “Reduce saturated fats from high-fat meats and full-fat dairy.”
- Diabetes and blood sugar management: “We encourage people to build balanced plates that contain fiber, protein and healthy fat,” Araghi said. “It’s also key to reduce sugary drinks, focus on minimally processed carbohydrates and support consistent meal timing that fits into your lifestyle.”
Eating a higher ratio of plant-based proteins compared with animal-based proteins is associated with a 19 percent lower risk of cardiovascular disease and a 27 percent lower risk of coronary artery disease, according to a 2024 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. These include tofu, tempeh, beans, lentils and more.
To get started with dietary changes, Araghi suggests adding one vegetable to your plate at lunch and dinner, swapping one sugary beverage for water or unsweetened tea every day, including beans in your diet twice per week, aiming for a 10-minute walk after meals and setting a simple sleep routine.
“It’s also important to manage stress because chronic stress can affect blood pressure, sleep and your food choices,” Araghi said. “Excessive alcohol use is listed as a heart disease risk factor, so limiting alcohol is also key. Take your medications as prescribed if you are already on blood pressure, cholesterol or diabetes medications.”
Roofe said it helps to focus on developing healthy habits rather than chasing perfection.
“The best diet and exercise changes are the ones you can maintain for life,” she said.
Get active to protect your heart
Being physically active is a key part of lowering heart disease risk factors, said Bryce Daniels, assistant professor and state extension health specialist for the Division of Agriculture.
“Your heart is a special kind of muscle,” Daniels said. “Its job is to act like a pump, pushing blood through your body all day long. When you are active, your heart must pump harder for a short time, but this is healthy, controlled stress that helps it get stronger over time.
“As your heart gets stronger, it can pump more blood with less effort,” he said. “This lowers your resting heart rate and can help reduce your blood pressure, which lowers your risk of heart disease.”
Daniels said physical activity also helps the rest of the circulatory system.
“Your body builds more small blood vessels, which makes it easier for blood to move through your tissues,” Daniels said. “Activity also helps your body clear out some of the plaque that can build up in blood vessels. When blood vessels are clearer and healthier, the heart doesn’t have to work as hard.”
Getting started: ‘Progress, not perfection’
For people with family members and loved ones at risk of heart disease, starting a conversation about their health can feel overwhelming or intimidating. Araghi said it is helpful to “start with compassion and permission, not pressure.”
“Use ‘I’ statements, which could sound like ‘I care about you and want you to feel your best,’” Araghi said. “Ask permission to talk by saying, ‘Would you be open to talking about some heart-healthy changes together?’
“Offer to take a first step together, such as taking a short walk, cooking a lower-sodium meal or scheduling a checkup,” Araghi said. “Encourage checking core risk factors, including blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar since these are central to heart disease risk.”
For individuals who are new to exercise and who want to establish a routine, Daniels said it is important to remember that “exercise does not have to be hard or overwhelming to be effective.”
“You do not need to train like a professional athlete or push yourself to the limit for your workout to count,” Daniels said. “What matters most is showing up regularly and giving your body time to adapt.
“The major benefits of exercise are not instant,” he said. “Most positive changes, like feeling stronger, having more energy, or noticing improvements in your health, take about four to six weeks of consistent activity to take hold.”
By starting small and building slowly, one can avoid causing soreness or injuries that can destroy motivation, Daniels said.
“Focus on consistency and choose activities that you enjoy,” he said. “Let your routine grow naturally over time. The goal is progress, not perfection. When you give yourself space to build confidence and strength at your own pace, it becomes something you can stick with long-term.”
Extension resources
Cooperative Extension Service staff are available to help Arkansans build nutrition skills through cooking demonstrations, grocery store tours and tips for reading food labels, along with other forms of personalized support.
“We have family and consumer sciences agents in 72 of our 75 counties addressing local needs with tailored guidance,” Roofe said. “We know where our food deserts are located, cultural food traditions, local health challenges, community resources and barriers to accessing health care in every community of our state.”
Learn more about extension health programs, Arkansas food and nutrition resources, and chronic disease management on the Cooperative Extension Service website.
To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit uada.edu. To learn more about ag and food research in Arkansas, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station at aaes.uada.edu.
About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system.
The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on three campuses.
Pursuant to 7 CFR § 15.3, the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services (including employment) without regard to race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, sexual preference, pregnancy or any other legally protected status, and is an equal opportunity institution.
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Media Contact:
Rebekah Hall
rkhall@uada.edu
501-671-2061