Heart Disease
Heart Disease – Heart Disease Risk Factors
Heart disease kills. Heart disease does not choose by gender, by culture, or by socioeconomic backgrounds. Heart disease is known as the world’s biggest universal killer because most people die from heart disease each year compared to other diseases – millions annually worldwide! Heart disease kills like no other because the most people who have it don’t even know that they do. Some people may even have more health problems that could worsen the heart disease risk factors.
Knowing all about heart disease risk factors can greatly alleviate your chances of getting heart disease, so familiarize yourself now. There are tons of causes for heart disease, but there are six heart disease risk factors that you definitely need to get to know:
1. Hypertension is a leading heart disease risk factor and is more commonly known as high blood pressure. Basically, blood pressure measures one’s blood force. The great the force, the more problems come with it, most of all when there are other factors to consider. The more hypertension is left unnoticed, the harder the arteries get and the thicker the heart muscle get, as well. Hypertension can be lowered by diet and exercise, but sometimes certain medications will be needed.
2. Smoking can cause a collection of fatty deposits in the blood, which could then lead up to the blocking of the arteries and ultimately, heart disease. This nicotine habit narrows the arteries, which makes it harder for the heart to pump oxygen throughout the body. This then leads to hypertension, which, as mentioned earlier, is a leading heart disease risk factor.
3. Diabetes is a metabolic disease, which deals with the production and absorption of insulin in the body. Those who suffer from this disease have a higher likelihood of developing heart disease due to the narrow and hard arteries, as well as the damage thereon. Since this condition greatly affects the muscles, those who suffer from it are definitely more prone to heart disease.
4. Cholesterol is highly essential for a healthy lining of blood vessels and body cells in the body. Cholesterol can be obtained from food and liver functions. Even without eating any cholesterol, your body will be able to sustain your body normally. By adding cholesterol, you will go beyond normal blood limits. Because of this, plaque will build up along the walls of the arteries, narrowing and hardening them. This could lead to heart disease as more oxygen is needed to be pumped into the heart and the body.
5. Obesity could also turn into heart disease. Being hugely overweight means you have greater cholesterol levels, giving you problems in creating insulin and turning into diabetes issues. With weight loss, your body is less burdened and will alleviate the heart disease risk factors.
6. If your family history is full of a past of heart disease, you should beware of how you you’re your life. Ensure you have a healthy diet, low in fat and cholesterol, while high in minerals, vitamins, and other antioxidants. This could help prevent heart disease. Live your life in clean surroundings, without alcohol or smoke, and make sure you exercise a lot to defeat heart disease risk factors.
Heart Disease–Reverse Heart Disease Now
There is no point living in regret once your doctor tells you that you have heart disease risk factors. You may have lived your life eating junk food and other unhealthy foods, but there is really no point in dwelling what you could have done differently; instead, focus on what you can do today. You can start making the right food and exercise decisions today to alleviate heart disease. Heart disease medications may seem like an easy way out, but remember that if you start taking them, you’ll have to take them for life.
Since everybody has different tastes in food, it is likely that your diet will be different from others. But the principles will be the same. Firstly, lower your intake of saturated facts as soon as possible since they are known as bad cholesterol to your blood. This clogs arteries and leads to heart disease.
Trans-fats should also be eliminated from your diet, in order to reverse your heart disease risk factors. This fat can be found mostly in fried foods, processed foods, and margarine, as well as hydrogenated oil. Always have a look out for this in ingredients!
Healthy fats may not sound great, but there are some that actually taste good. Polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats can be found in olive oil, vegetable oil, and nuts, which will even help you lose weight in your belly and alleviate the bad cholesterol from your blood. Fish contains a lot of omega-3 fatty acids that will largely benefit your heart and lessen heart disease by lowering your levels of cholesterol.
Always read food labels and find out how much cholesterol is in fresh food. Make sure to eat a lot of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, so that you have a lot of minerals, vitamins, fiber and antioxidants needed to alleviate heart disease. Such foods also give complex carbohydrates that will energize you in the long. Simply carbohydrates, such as sugar, are full of empty calories and provide no nutritional value whatsoever.
It may be hard for some to simply get rid of certain food, however, so try to substitute them with better foods instead of phasing out completely. Your taste buds will get used to the change as your body gets further away from heart disease.
If you are having difficulties in changing your diet, ask your doctor or nutritionist for help; they should know what is best for you and will be able to come up with great substitutions for the ideal diet to alleviate your heart disease.
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