What causes heart disease? Two major conditions contribute Atherosclerosis it involves deposits of fatty substances cholesterol, cellular waste and calcium in the lining of an artery. It starts due to elevated levels of cholesterol, high blood pressure, and tobacco smoke.
Congestive Heart Failure affects people of all ages from children to senior citizens, there is no cure. The heart has been weakened by an underlying problem. Clogged arteries, high blood pressure, a defect or some other medical condition. It does not mean the heart has failed, simply means the heart is not doing an efficient job.
Cerebrovascular Accident – Every 53 seconds someone in America has a stroke. Stroke is the nation’s #3 killer and is the leading cause of long-term disability. People with heart disease have twice the risk of having a stroke. It is caused when a blood vessel in the brain become blocked by artherosclerosis and the tissue supplied b the artery dies. It can also be caused by a traveling blood clot known as an embolus.
Unchangeable Risk Factors: Age, the older you get the greater the chance of heart disease. Four out of five people who die of congestive heart disease are 65 years of age or older. Sex, males have a greater rate of congestive heart disease. Race, minorities have a greater chance of heart disease. African Americans have a greater chance of high blood pressure. The risk is also higher in Mexican Americans, America Indians, native Hawaiians and Asian Americans. Also included as unchangeable risk factors is your family history and your own personal medical history.
Hypertension Serum Cholesterol: As cholesterol rises so does the risk of congestive heart disease, and obesity. It is unhealthy because excess weight puts more strain on your heart. It can raise blood pressure and blood cholesterol and lead to diabetes. Diabetes Mellitus, Physical Inactivity, and Cigarette Smoking along with Alcohol intake are the other changeable risk factors. A smoker’s risk of a heart attack is more than twice that of a non-smoker.
Cholesterol is a soft waxy substance found among the lipids in the bloodstream and in all of your body’s cells. Everybody needs cholesterol, it serves a vital function in the body. It is a component of the nerve tissue of the brain and spinal cord as well as other major organs. We get cholesterol from two ways. Our bodies make it and the rest comes from animal products we eat. It is frequently measured to promote health and prevent disease. Desirable levels of total cholesterol levels should be at 200 or less. 240 is considered high but it will depend on the HDL and LDL levels if at this level there is a risk to your health. It is a major component of the plaque that clogs arteries. Cholesterol and other fats can’t dissolve in the blood. They have to be transported to and from cells by special carriers called lipoproteins.
HDL or high density lipoprotein is know as the good cholesterol, it helps to bind to some of the bad cholesterol and carry it out of the body. It does not have the tendency to clog arteries. The target level is greater than 35mg/dl. High levels of >60 can actually negate one other risk factor. Studies suggest that high levels of HDL cholesterol reduce your risk of a heart attack.
The Facts About Fat – Certain fats are essential for good nutrition and health. Fats provided essential fatty acids which the body can’t manufacture, they act as insulators to maintain body temperature and they improve the palatability of food and promote digestion. Knowing which fats raise LDL cholesterol and which ones don’t is very important. Saturated fat, trans fatty acids, and dietary cholesterol raise blood cholesterol. Some studies suggest that using monounsaturated and polyunsaturated may lower cholesterol levels slightly.
Saturated fats can cause an increase in cholesterol. What is saturated fat? It is fat that is saturated with hydrogen and is a solid at room temperature. Examples are lard and butter. Saturated fats increase levels of LDL, decrease levels of HDL and increases total cholesterol. The American Heart Association recommends you limit saturated fat intake to 7-10% of your total calories.
Monounsaturated fat includes canola, olive and peanut oils and avocados.
Trans fatty acids have hydrogen added to them to give them a longer shelf life and they also tend to lower HDL levels.
The American Heart Association recommends eating fish two times per week. Mention other fish that contain Omega 3 fatting acids. Omega 3 fatty acids are available as a supplement but research is till being done to determine the supplements’ effectiveness.
People who are obese have 2 to 6 times the risk of developing hypertension even if they have no other risk factors.
About 2/3 of the people with diabetes die of some type of heart or blood vessel disease.
Exercise can help control blood cholesterol, diabetes and obesity, as well as help lower blood pressure.
Alcohol Consumption: In small amounts alcohol acts as a vasodilator, this is good and usually occurs in 1-2 drinks. In large amounts it acts as a vasoconstrictor which is bad. The range this occurs is 3-4 drinks. This is a very fine line. Other risk factors that may contribute to a higher risk of heart disease is an individual’s response to stress, sex hormones, and the loss of natural estrogen as women age.
How can you stop cardiovascular disease? The heart healthy diet is designed to decrease sodium, saturated fat, including trans fatty acids which are all closely linked to high blood cholesterol and an increased risk of heart disease. It also encourages the increased intake of monounsaturated fat, Omega 3 fatty acids and soluble fiber which helps to lower blood cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of heart disease.
The American Heart Association and the National Cholesterol Education Program have developed these diets to treat high blood pressure and hypercholesterolemia. The main goal is to lower LDL levels to reduce the risk of cardiovascular heart disease. These guidelines help patients reduce saturated fat and cholesterol in their diets. The difference between Step 1 and 2 is that Step 1 is carried out in a medical setting. Step 1 is the starting point.