How to Avoid Becoming A Victim of Heart Disease
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.
You probably won't be too surprised to know that if you're a man you already have a higher chance of dying young due to heart disease. For women the increase risk usually comes in much later - prominantly once 'the change' has occurred. Nevertheless the point is not whether you are a man or woman - though that does obviously affect your heart disease risks. The issue is more of the increase in heart disease risk in relation the increase in the amount of years you have been alive. The longer you have been around on this planet the shorter your chances of getting heart problems become. This is because many of the other risk factors increase with age - risk that you will need to be aware of.
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.
We all get a little stressed from time to time. It's no big deal right? Wrong. Evidence points to ongoing stress leading to high blood pressure. This means as you get older stress becomes less and less welcome. This doesn't even take into account the risks that stress places on someone who already has heart disease. Stress could literally be the straw that breaks the hearts valve's wall. Admittedly stress is not nearly as big a problem as smoking or having a high cholesterol level. Nevertheless it can make the difference for some unlucky people.