Ask An Expert Is It Ever Too Late To Start Preventive Care For Heart Disease

Dr. Velarde: It’s never too late. But the sooner you start, the better.

Lifestyle habits are ingrained and hard to change. So, the longer you wait, the harder it is to change and adopt new habits. But it is never too late to start. Benefits of healthy lifestyle changes are seen even if adopted later in life.

For example, there’s evidence that regardless of when you stop smoking, you will reap some benefits and have fewer negative health outcomes. Similarly, addressing other risk factors, like blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol control, will translate to better cardiovascular outcomes no matter when you start the preventive care.

So, no, it’s never too late to start preventive care. But we are creatures of habit, so the sooner we start something, the better the benefits, and the easier it becomes to sustain.