Tips for Reducing the Risk Factors of Heart Disease

One of the best ways to prevent heart disease is to avoid or minimize the risk factors that contribute to this potentially fatal condition. By making a few lifestyle alterations and taking the prescribed medication, you can significantly reduce the chances that you will suffer from heart disease.
Causes of Heart Disease
The first step to preventing heart disease is understanding the causes of it. In general, the risk factors are categorized as either primary or secondary causes of heart disease. While primary causes have been scientifically proven to foster heart disease, secondary causes are then thought to contribute to the development of it. Some of the primary causes include:
  • age: Roughly 4 out of 5 of people over the age of 65 die from heart disease.
  • gender: Men are more likely to suffer from heart disease than women.
  • diabetes: Those with Type-2 diabetes are more likely to suffer from heart disease than those with Type-1 diabetes.
  • ethnicity: African Americans and Hispanics are far more likely to suffer from heart disease than Caucasians.
  • heredity: Those with a family history of heart disease are more likely to develop the condition.
  • high cholesterol levels: Those with too much cholesterol develop plaque in the walls of their arteries, limiting the heart’s blood supply, stressing the heart and contributing to heart disease.
  • hypertension (high blood pressure): Those with a systolic pressure that ranges above 120 and a diastolic pressure that measures above 80 are at a greater risk of suffering from heart disease.
  • lack of exercise: Physical inactivity causes the heart muscle to weaken and develop heart disease.
  • obesity: Those with a BMI (body mass index) over 25 are more likely to develop heart disease.
  • smoking: Smoking causes plaque to build in the arteries and the heart to beat irregularly.

Secondary risk factors for heart disease include:

  • alcohol: While moderate consumption of red wine has been proven to promote heart health, heavy drinking causes weight gain, a primary risk factor of heart disease.
  • birth control pills: Contraceptive pills that contain high doses of estrogen put women at risk for heart disease.
  • hormones: The lack of estrogen that characterizes menopausal women stresses the heart. Women between the ages of 45 and 60 are especially at risk of developing heart disease.
  • stress: Emotional and physical stress is known to raise blood pressure, thereby disposing one to heart disease.

How to Reduce Risk Factors for Heart Disease

While you can’t control all of the factors that contribute to heart disease, such as your gender, ethnicity, age or genetic makeup, you can avoid or minimize certain behaviors known to cause heart disease. Here is a list of guidelines for how to reduce your risk of developing heart disease:
  • eat a healthy diet (including foods rich in antioxidants) that minimizes your fat, sodium and cholesterol intake
  • exercise
  • limit your stress or find healthy ways to deal with it
  • maintain a healthy weight
  • minimize your alcohol intake and smoking behavior
  • take low-estrogen birth control pills (or use an alternative contraceptive).

Oftentimes, those at risk for heart disease will develop other, more mild conditions before coming down with a full-blown condition heart disease. As a result, getting regular physicals is important, as they give you and your doctor a chance to step in before your health is seriously compromised.

Resources

Heart & Stroke Foundation (2007). Living with Heart Disease (2006). Retrieved June 13, 2007 from: http://ww2.heartandstroke.ca/Page.asp?PageID=1975&ArticleID=5311&Src=heart&From=SubCategory.

WebMD, The Cleveland Clinic Hart Center (2007). Heart Disease: Cardiac Rehabilitation (2005). Retrieved June 13, 2007 from: http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/guide/heart-disease-cardiac-rehabilitation.