This article is part ofHealth Divide: Heart Disease Risk Factors, a destination in our Health Divide series.
Julie Bang / Verywell
Meet the Expert
Gladys Velarde, M.D.
Dr. Velarde’s clinical interests include heart disease in women and other populations along with preventive care.
Julie Bang / Verywell
Verywell Health: Is it ever too late to start preventive care for heart disease?
Dr. Velarde: Its never too late.
But the sooner you start, the better.
Lifestyle habitsare 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.
So, no, its never too late tostart preventive care.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Smoking and tobacco use: benefits of quitting.
American Cancer Society.Health benefits for quitting smoking over time.
