Can Heart Disease Be Reversed?

Lifestyle changes and treatment can help reduce heart failure symptoms

After being diagnosed with a heart attack or other serious cardiac issue, you’re likely looking for ways to protect your heart.

Fortunately, a big part of heart health is completely in your control. Every time you eat a vegetable or go for a walk, you take a small step (literally) toward helping your heart.

“Sometimes my patients ask, ‘Can heart disease be reversed?’” says Bryan Martin, DO, a Geisinger cardiologist. “In many cases, it can, especially if you’re in early stages of the disease. Often, if you make healthy lifestyle choices and pair them with medical treatments, you can greatly decrease your symptoms and add years to your life.”

Understanding heart disease

Heart disease is a term used to describe conditions that affect the heart's structure and function. Common types include:

Coronary artery disease: The arteries that provide blood to the heart are blocked or narrowed, usually by fat deposits called plaque.
Heart rhythm disorder: Also called arrhythmia, this condition may cause your heart to beat too fast, too slow or in an inefficient pattern.
Heart valve disease: The valves between the heart chambers may be leaking or not opening properly.
Heart failure: The heart doesn’t pump blood well because it’s weak, stiff or has other problems.

Lifestyle changes to improve heart health

You may not be able to control all the factors that put you at risk for heart disease, like age, family history or medical conditions. But you can develop habits and make choices that help your symptoms, and in some cases, even reverse heart disease.

Shift your diet

Healthy food is a healing balm to your heart. Make small shifts, like replacing your daily soda with no-sodium seltzer water — if you keep them up, you’ll make a big impact over time. To help your heart health:

Eat more fruits and vegetables
Choose lean proteins and low-fat dairy products
Add whole grains to replace white flour or white rice
Focus on minimally processed foods
Use healthy oils, like olive, sesame and avocado
Cut sugars, including high-fructose corn syrup and fructose
Limit salt and explore herbs instead

Is getting heart-healing food a challenge for you? Tell your healthcare provider, who may recommend helpful programs.

Limit your alcohol consumption

There’s a popular belief that alcohol, especially red wine, can decrease your risk of heart disease, but there are limits.

“If you don’t have heart problems, anything beyond moderate alcohol consumption is unhealthy,” says Dr. Martin. “If you do have heart problems — especially heart arrythmia or cardiomyopathy — alcohol makes them worse. And binge drinking is a huge stressor on the heart.”

Moderate consumption is defined as no more than 2 drinks a day for men or 1 drink a day for women.

Find healthy ways to relieve stress

When you’re already anxious, hearing your doctor tell you to “relieve stress” might feel laughable. But there are concrete, proven techniques you can use to lighten your load.

Deep breathing: Taking deep, slow breaths tells your body it’s safe and calms your heart. Try a few minutes of deep breathing several times a day. Adding in some soothing stretches might help, too.
Hobbies and humor: Enjoy activities you find calming — maybe that’s knitting, listening to peaceful music, getting a massage or watching a funny movie.
Meditation and prayer: Though research is still ongoing, the American Heart Association recommends meditation as a low-risk, rewarding way to help your heart.
Reduce your tasks and lower your expectations: Delegate every commitment possible, and politely decline when someone asks you to do something. Simplify tasks. Adopt the motto “Perfection is the enemy of good enough.”

Get quality sleep

Your body restores and repairs while you sleep. So do your best to overcome busy schedules and screens, and fight hard to get your recommended 7 to 8 hours of sleep a night.

“If you’re sleep-deprived, you tend to snack on junk food, cancel exercise and avoid heart-healthy habits,” says Dr. Martin. “But if you try all the tips to get a good night’s sleep and still can’t get good rest, talk to your healthcare provider. You might need screening for sleep disorders like apnea, which, once treated, can help you and your heart for years to come.”

Build activity into your daily life

Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise each week, such as brisk walking or cycling. This strengthens the heart and enhances overall well-being. Plus, it helps you sleep and relieves stress.

Stop smoking

Smokers are actually more likely to die from heart disease than lung cancer. But cigarettes aren’t the only smoke that damages the heart. Vaping — even once — can increase your heart disease risk. And smoking marijuana is also linked with increased risk of heart attack.

“The first thing to do to help your heart health: Quit smoking,” says Dr. Martin. “If you tried and failed in the past, consider trying a smoking cessation medication.”

Medical treatments to heal heart disease

Heart disease is a complex condition, but effective medical treatments can manage your symptoms and improve heart health. All of these options are tools to heal the cardiovascular system.

Medications

Your doctor will usually prescribe drugs for early signs of heart disease, like high bad cholesterol or high blood pressure. Finding the right combination of medications and the right dosage can take time. And because your needs may change as you age, follow up with your healthcare provider regularly. You might be prescribed drugs to treat:

High blood pressure: High blood pressure stresses your heart, arteries and veins, causing inflammation and even leaks. Doctors will prescribe drugs such as ACE inhibitors, beta-blockers and calcium channel blockers.
High cholesterol: Statins and other cholesterol-lowering drugs decrease the amount of low-density lipoprotein, or LDL, cholesterol in your blood. Also known as “bad cholesterol,” LDL is a building block of plaque that clogs blood vessels.
Excess fluids: Sometimes when the heart doesn’t pump well, excess fluid will build up in your body. Your healthcare provider may prescribe diuretics, which help you flush the excess fluid.

Surgical procedures

In some cases, medication alone may not be enough, and surgical treatments may be necessary. Procedures include:

Stent placement: A stent is a tiny cylinder of wire mesh placed in narrowed arteries to open them and restore proper blood flow.
Bypass surgery: This procedure creates new pathways for blood to reach the heart muscle when arteries are blocked.
Pacemaker implantation: Patients with heart rhythm disorders may need a pacemaker to help regulate their heartbeat.

“Working together, medical treatments and healthy choices in diet, exercise, stress management and smoking can help your heart and greatly improve symptoms of heart disease,” says Dr. Martin.