Adults who face the risk of developing heart disease can possibly control and even reverse this risk by making healthy choices.

A Northwestern Medicine study has shed light on the potential for adults in their 30s and 40s to slash their risk for developing cardiovascular disease when they forego unhealthy habits in favor of healthier ones.

According to the CDC, approximately 600,000 people die of heart disease in the U.S. every year.

Bonnie Spring, lead study researcher and a professor of preventive medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, strongly believes that it’s not too late for adults even in their late 40s to make lifestyle changes in favor of optimal health to benefit their heart.

“This finding is important because it helps to debunk two myths held by some health care professionals. The first is that it’s nearly impossible to change patients’ behaviors. Yet, we found that 25 percent of adults made healthy lifestyle changes on their own. The second myth is that the damage has already been done — adulthood is too late for healthy lifestyle changes to reduce the risk of developing coronary artery disease. Clearly, that’s incorrect. Adulthood is not too late for healthy behavior changes to help the heart,” said Spring in a statement.

However, this phenomenon also works on the flip side. Adults who drop healthy habits can increase their risk of developing heart disease. Without keeping up a healthy lifestyle, adults will more than likely experience evidence of an increased risk for developing cardiovascular disease.

Experts agree that certain habits help reduce the chances of developing heart disease, including keeping a healthy body weight, avoiding smoking, eating a healthy diet, limiting alcohol intake, and exercising regularly.

The findings of the study are published in the journal Circulation.