An overall healthy lifestyle including regular physical activity is the best prevention for heart disease. Some of the factors that can put you at risk can't be controlled. These include; increasing age, the older you are the more likely you are to develop heart problems. Males also have a greater risk of heart attack than women. Race plays a factor as well; African Americans have higher incidents of high blood pressure than Caucasians and a higher risk of heart disease. Other factors are controllable and if modified can decrease your risk of developing heart disease. Controllable risk factors include:
One in five Americans has high blood pressure. There are virtually no symptoms; so many people don't know they have it. This is truly the silent killer. High blood pressure makes the heart work harder than normal, raising the risk of heart attacks, strokes, kidney failure, eye damage, congestive heart failure and atherosclerosis. When coupled with other risk factors such as obesity and smoking the risk of a heart attack increases substantially. If you have high blood pressure work with your physician to control it. Eating a proper diet, losing weight, exercising regularly, restricting salt (sodium) and following a medication regimen may all be prescribed to lower blood pressure.
A smoker's risk of heart attack is more than twice that of nonsmokers. The nicotine and carbon monoxide in tobacco smoke reduce the amount of oxygen in the blood. They also damage blood vessel walls and may trigger the formation of blood clots. Smoking also reduces "good" cholesterol, which promotes heart disease. If you do smoke, get help to quit now! There are many effective programs to help you quit. Once you stop smoking your risk of heart disease starts to drop and over time will be about the same as if you'd never smoked.
High cholesterol has no symptoms. Everyone age 20 and older should have his or her cholesterol measured at least every five years. If your cholesterol is high your physician will likely want to monitor your levels and advise modifications. Eating a proper diet low in saturated fat is an important step. Maintaining a healthy weight and getting regular physical activity will also help achieve a lower cholesterol level and improve your overall health. Medication may be needed as well to reduce your risk of developing heart disease.
When physical inactivity is combined with overeating
and excess weight, higher blood cholesterol and diabetes can result.
These combine to raise the risk of coronary heart disease. Regular
exercise is important to reduce these risks. For most healthy people,
the American Heart Association recommends 30 - 60 minutes of physical
activity a day to promote a healthy heart and lungs. Moderate activities
such as walking, gardening and housework for at least 30 minutes a
day can help the heart. Before starting a vigorous exercise program,
it's wise to consult your physician.
People with excess body fat - especially in the midsection - are at a higher risk for health problems. The waist measurement and the body mass index (BMI) are the recommended ways to measure body fat. If you're overweight, losing as little as 10 to 20 pounds can help lower your risk of a heart disease. To loose weight, most women should eat 1200 to 1500 calories a day. Most men should eat 1500 to 1800 calories a day. Losing one to two pounds per week is considered a healthy weight loss.
Diabetes is a disease in which the body doesn't make or respond properly to the hormone insulin. The body uses insulin to convert sugar, starches and other foods into energy. Type 2 diabetes is the most common; it usually appears in adults but is becoming increasingly prevalent in children. Obesity and a lack of physical activity are two risk factors. In a mild form, it can go undetected for many years. Untreated diabetes can lead to serious medical problems, including heart and blood vessel diseases. Type 1 or juvenile diabetes begins early in life. These patients have a primary insulin deficiency and must take insulin to stay alive. Even when controlled diabetes increases the risk of heart disease and stroke. It's important to work with your healthcare provider to change eating habits, control your weight and get regular exercise, as well as maintaining a drug therapy, if needed.
