Heart disease is the leading cause of death in adults. It trumps cancer, car accidents and even opioid-related deaths. In fact, heart disease is the cause of one in four deaths per year. What makes these statistics even more devastating is the fact that simple precautions can be taken to prevent heart disease.
Prevention begins with knowing the risk factors. Some people naturally have an increased risk of having heart disease because of uncontrollable risk factors such as age, sex, race, family history or their own cardiovascular history. But beyond these factors, there are other risk factors that we have all the means to control to avoid possible heart problems.
1. High blood pressure:
When the force of the blood against the walls of the blood vessels is constantly too high, it is called high blood pressure.
It causes heart disease because this constant pressure makes it more difficult for the heart and blood vessels to deliver oxygen throughout the body, which can affect the functioning of certain organs, such as the brain.
2. High bad cholesterol level:
Your body produces cholesterol to add structural integrity to cell membranes, produce hormones, and help produce bile and digest food. There are two types of cholesterol in our body.
High density lipoprotein (HDL) promotes heart health by reducing the amount of cholesterol accumulated in the blood. In contrast, low density lipoproteins (LDL) are considered "bad" cholesterol, and their high levels can lead to heart disease.
3. Diabetes:
Did you know that someone with type 2 diabetes is more likely to develop heart disease? This association is due, in part, to the arterial hypertension and hypercholesterolemia often observed in diabetics.
In addition to these additional risk factors, increasing a diabetic's blood glucose also puts pressure on the nerves that connect the heart and blood vessels.
4. Smoking and obesity:
These are the two leading risk factors for heart disease because they often play a role in the development of other risk factors. For example, an overweight or obese person is more likely to develop hypertension and diabetes than a thinner person.
Smoking is similar in that it can increase both your heart rate and your blood pressure while lowering your levels of good cholesterol (HDL). This can make you vulnerable to high and unhealthy cholesterol levels.