Heart Disease Prevention
Cholesterol
High blood cholesterol is a major factor that places a person at a higher risk for heart attack. When an individual has high blood cholesterol, he or she is at an increased risk of heart attack because cholesterol can form plaques in the interior lining of the coronary arteries, causing a blockage of blood to the heart. Cholesterol in the blood can only break up and dissolve if it is combined with proteins called lipoproteins. The "bad cholesterol" that people receive too much of by eating an unhealthy diet contains low-density lipoproteins (LDL), which do not prevent the build up of cholesterol plagues. On the other hand, a diet of foods with "good cholesterol," which consist of high-density lipoproteins, helps dissolve protein from the surface of coronary arterial plaques.
There are steps you can take to lower your bad cholesterol intake, as well as to raise the good cholesterol levels in your blood. Taking these measures can lower your risk of a heart attack:
- Lose extra weight
- Eat a diet that is low in saturated fats
- Exercise regularly
- Take medications that decrease the bad cholesterol in your blood
Hypertension
High blood pressure, otherwise known as hypertension, is another of the major risk factors of heart disease. Patients with high blood pressure are prone to developing atherosclerosis, which causes heart attacks through a build of cholesterol in the arteries, causing the arterial walls to harden and constricting the passageway so that oxygenated blood can longer reach the heart. Using medications to control your high blood pressure can help you prevent a heart attack.
Smoking
Smoking poses another heart attack risk factor. Tobacco smoke has chemicals in it that can cause a deterioration in the walls of the blood vessels, thereby hastening the devastating effects of artherosclerosis. Quitting smoking can greatly reduce your risk of heart disease.
Diabetes
Patients with diabetes types 1 and 2 are also at an increased risk of heart attack. That is because diabetes is frequently responsible for speeding up artherosclerosis in the legs. People who have diabetes can lower their risk by fastidiously monitoring their blood sugar, maintaining a healthy weight, exercising regularly and sticking to the diet prescribed by their doctors.
Genetics
Genetics are another influential component of a patient’s risk level and can be a cause of heart disease even in seemingly healthy individuals. If there is a history of heart attack in the family, particularly if it was the patient’s father or another male in the immediate family who was under 55, or the mother or another close relative under the age of 65, the patient may be at an increased risk. With or with out a hereditary component, males are at a greater risk of heart attacks than women because they naturally have lower levels of good cholesterol that dissolves congestive plaques in the arteries.
While you cannot change your genetics, living a health lifestyle that includes regular exercise and a diet low in saturated fats can help reduce your exposure to heart attack causes.