Are you heart smart?

If you want to be heart healthy, you have to be heart smart. So, test your knowledge by answering true or false to the following statements. Then check the answers below to see how well you did.

1. If you eat healthy, exercise, keep blood pressure and cholesterol low and don't smoke, you won't develop heart disease.

2. Children who are among the tallest for their age are more likely to be obese as adults.

3. Your cardiovascular system doesn't really change as you age.

4. Most people who have diabetes for more than 20 years also have damage to their eyes from the disease.

Answers:

1. False. Although these healthy habits come highly recommended for reducing heart disease risk, about one in four people develops cardiovascular disease without any known risk factors. That's why it's important for even outwardly healthy individuals to be screened for high blood pressure, high cholesterol or other warning signs of cardiovascular disease.

2. True. A study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that kids between ages 2 and 8 who were in the 95th percentile of height had a 2.5-times greater chance of becoming obese as adults. The reasons why are not fully understood.

3. False. The heart and arteries undergo certain normal changes with age. These may include a thickening of the heart valves that sometimes triggers a heart murmur, a slower heart rate, increased blood pressure and a slight enlargement of the heart muscle. Have any unusual symptoms evaluated—never assume it's "just part of getting older."

4. True. One of the devastating effects of diabetes is retinopathy—the leading cause of blindness in America. Doctors stress that proper control of diabetes as well as blood pressure can help slow retinopathy and contain further damage.