Heart disease and diseases of the circulatory system are responsible for 1 in every 3 deaths in the UK, account for 233,000 fatalities each year. The saddest thing about this is that a huge majority of these deaths are preventable, all that is needed is a small lifestyle change. Although some people will be at a higher risk of heart disease due to genetics, looking after your diet and practicing correct lifestyle patterns can still stack the odds of beating it heavily in your favour. You just need to know what the main risk factors are and what you can do to beat them.
As inevitably as death and taxes, as each passing year goes by we get older and our risk of heart disease increases. For women the risk gets significantly higher once you pass menopause, for men the risk starts rising at a much earlier age. It therefor stands to reason that, whether you are a man or a woman, you need to be aware of what the risk factors of heart disease are. Getting older is one of them because as you get on a bit the other factors become more relevant. So lets talk a bit about these other factors.
The first and probably biggest risk factor related to heart disease is related to smoking cigarettes. If you smoke at all you are greatly increasing the chances of developing heart problems later in life. For someone who smokes twenty ciggies per day you are twice as likely to develope heart disease than someone who doesn't smoke. Smoke forty per day and the chances are four times more likely. See a pattern? It doesn't take a genius to work out that by cutting out the fags you are cutting out a major factor of developing heart problems.
High blood pressure is almost like the silent killer of the heart disease world. You can appear to be and feel very healthy yet still have high blood pressure. Obviously if you are stressed or overweight then the chances of you having high blood pressure increase. However the only way to know you have actually got it is to check it. As you get older BP check become more and more necessary. It doesn't take much to get a regular check with your doctor, and it could literally be the difference between life and death.
Paid much attention to your diet recently? If you eat an unhealthy diet not only do you risk being over weight, you also risk having high cholesterol levels in your blood. Especially if you're partial to dairy products such as full cream milk, butter, cheese and eggs. The fact is if you have a particularly high cholesterol level you treble your chances of heart disease. Next time you're reaching for the full fat milk you might want to go for the skimmed instead.
There is no doubt that anyone who is very fat or unfit is at greater risk of developing coronary heart disease. For overweight people the risk is greater still as straight away the chances of higher BP and cholesterol levels increase. At least if you're both overweight and unfit there is some good news - you can do something about both of them at the same time. Take time out each week to do some exercise and not only will you have a fitter and healthier heart, you will also lose weight and enjoy better health.
The final major risk factor we want to talk about in this article is stress. Although not an obvious choice, many people believe that stress is an important contributor to heart disease - though this theory is more controversial than other risk factors. The reason stress is a problem is that it can raise blood pressure - again showing how one risk factor can influence another. And have you ever seen a movie where a sudden stress or shock triggers off a heart attack? Well this can happen to someone who already has heart disease, showing that stress is definitely a health risk in that sense.
As inevitably as death and taxes, as each passing year goes by we get older and our risk of heart disease increases. For women the risk gets significantly higher once you pass menopause, for men the risk starts rising at a much earlier age. It therefor stands to reason that, whether you are a man or a woman, you need to be aware of what the risk factors of heart disease are. Getting older is one of them because as you get on a bit the other factors become more relevant. So lets talk a bit about these other factors.
The first and probably biggest risk factor related to heart disease is related to smoking cigarettes. If you smoke at all you are greatly increasing the chances of developing heart problems later in life. For someone who smokes twenty ciggies per day you are twice as likely to develope heart disease than someone who doesn't smoke. Smoke forty per day and the chances are four times more likely. See a pattern? It doesn't take a genius to work out that by cutting out the fags you are cutting out a major factor of developing heart problems.
High blood pressure is almost like the silent killer of the heart disease world. You can appear to be and feel very healthy yet still have high blood pressure. Obviously if you are stressed or overweight then the chances of you having high blood pressure increase. However the only way to know you have actually got it is to check it. As you get older BP check become more and more necessary. It doesn't take much to get a regular check with your doctor, and it could literally be the difference between life and death.
Paid much attention to your diet recently? If you eat an unhealthy diet not only do you risk being over weight, you also risk having high cholesterol levels in your blood. Especially if you're partial to dairy products such as full cream milk, butter, cheese and eggs. The fact is if you have a particularly high cholesterol level you treble your chances of heart disease. Next time you're reaching for the full fat milk you might want to go for the skimmed instead.
There is no doubt that anyone who is very fat or unfit is at greater risk of developing coronary heart disease. For overweight people the risk is greater still as straight away the chances of higher BP and cholesterol levels increase. At least if you're both overweight and unfit there is some good news - you can do something about both of them at the same time. Take time out each week to do some exercise and not only will you have a fitter and healthier heart, you will also lose weight and enjoy better health.
The final major risk factor we want to talk about in this article is stress. Although not an obvious choice, many people believe that stress is an important contributor to heart disease - though this theory is more controversial than other risk factors. The reason stress is a problem is that it can raise blood pressure - again showing how one risk factor can influence another. And have you ever seen a movie where a sudden stress or shock triggers off a heart attack? Well this can happen to someone who already has heart disease, showing that stress is definitely a health risk in that sense.
About the Author:
Their is a simple and clear message. If you have a weight problem then you will need to start looking at a way to lose some, whether it be natural diet products or whatever. If you're stressed out then try some stress relief remedies. Address your risk factors and you reduce the chances of heart disease.
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