The Ten Best Ways to Prevent Cardiovascular Disease

Cardiovascular disease is among one of the largest killers of adults in the US. The American Heart Association (AHA) in a recent study, reported that approximately 80,000,000 American adults have one or more types of Cardiovascular Disease. Of those, 38,000,000 are under the age of 60. (from AHA website, 2009 statistic report)

Cardiovascular disease include three types of disease, heart or coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular, and peripheral vascular disease.

Terms:

Cardiovascular disease: when conditions caused by one or more factors cause atheroma, which narrows the arteries.

Atheroma: fatty deposits in the walls of the arteries. If a tear appears in the wall, the blood thickens to repair it but sometimes can thicken too much and cause a blood clot.

Heart disease: when the coronary (arteries of the heart) arteries are narrowed and can cause angina, heart attack, and heart failure.

Cerebrovascular disease: when the cerebral (arteries of the brain) arteries are narrowed and can cause stroke and TI.

Stroke: when the brain is suddenly damaged

TIA: (transient ischemic attack or mini-stroke) caused by lack of blood to the brain

Peripheral vascular disease: when arteries not relating to the heart or brain are narrowed, usually the legs

What causes cardiovascular disease?

There are several factors that can contribute to cardiovascular disease; they are life style risks, treatable factors, and fixed factors.

Life Style Risks

• Smoking

• Excessive drinking

• Sedentary lifestyle (no exercise)

• Obesity (especially belly fat)

• Unhealthy eating (foods high in fat, cholesterol, and/or salt)

• Stress

Treatable Factors

• High blood pressure (hypertension)

• High cholesterol

• High triglyceride (fat) levels in blood

• Diabetes

• Kidney diseases

Fixed factors

• Family history - history of immediate blood relative having heart disease or stroke (especially father or brother before 55, mother or sister before 65)

• Being Male

• Early menopausal female

• Age (the older the more likely you are to develop CVD)

• Ethnicity

How can I prevent cardiovascular disease?

There are several things you can do to prevent heart disease.

1. Stop smoking - smoking is strongly related to cardiovascular disease

2. Get up and move - Exercise at least 30 minutes a day, even if it's just walking.

3. Make a goal to lose weight especially belly fat. Exercising if you are sedentary will help.

4. Limit alcohol intake

5. Limit your salt intake

6. Maintain a healthy diet, rich in fruits and vegetables. Keep away from fatty foods, especially fast food

7. Add fish that are rich in Omega 3s to your diet at least 3 times a week.

8. Maintain your diabetes, high cholesterol, or high blood pressure correctly

9. Take an aspirin a day (baby aspirin is best)

10. Be aware of your risks and get tested. If you are over 40 or if you have high risk factors, such as family with a history of CVD and have not been tested, go and do it.

(Information taken from the St Luke's Hospital in the Woodlands website. St Luke's Hospital in the Woodlands, TX is home to The Heart® Institute, founded in 1962 by Denton A Cooley, MD, is consistently ranked one of the top ten cardio and heart surgery centers in the nation by the US News and World Report.)

Cardiovascular disease is very serious and more and more hospital are dedicating themselves to heart disease because of the way the US is today. We have gotten lazy with everything being automated and the fast food industry is slowly killing us. So do what you can to help yourself and live a longer, better life.