Knowing the risks is the first step toward avoiding a heart attack. If you decide to live a healthy life you can raise your chances of avoiding a heart attack or stroke and the potentially fatal consequences that these medical emergencies bring. Read on to know how to lower your heart attack risk factors.
Know the heart attack risk factors.
Knowing the risk factors can help you modify behaviors so you can do something about them. Heart attacks are caused by a number of factors but they often work together to produce these incidents. Some of these factors are beyond your control, such as your age, gender, ethnic background, and family history. Older individuals such as those over 50 years old are at a higher risk for heart attacks. Women’s risk for heart attacks may increase and even equal that of men once they reach menopause, however. Having a family history of heart diseases also raises a person’s risk.
Fortunately, there are also risk factors that you can totally control. These include:
-smoking and/or drinking alcohol
-overeating
-living a sedentary lifestyle
-isolation
-stress
Numerous studies have shown that smoking directly contributes to the incidence of heart attacks and that smokers have a risk for heart attacks that is 3 times higher than the average person. Alcohol can also increase a person’s heart health risk, raise triglyceride levels and cause irregular heartbeat which can worsen a preexisting heart condition that could lead to a heart attack.
Bad eating habits contribute to high cholesterol and poor nutrition. Overeating and living a sedentary lifestyle contribute to high levels of low-density cholesterol or bad cholesterol which leads to high blood pressure. High blood pressure forces the heart to pump harder which puts a strain on the blood vessels. Over time, this leads to tissue damage. Dietary changes and increased physical activity can help you maintain healthy cholesterol and blood pressure levels, especially when paired with medication. A healthy diet is an effective weapon against heart disease so it is important to switch to natural, healthful meals with fruits, vegetables, greens, grains, poultry, and fish, and little to no red meat, sugars, and processed foods.
Changes in these areas are also crucial in the management of diabetes, which is another heart attack risk factors. Patients with diabetes have twice the risk of developing heart disease compared to the average person.
Isolation, depression and constant exposure to stress can also put a strain on the cardiovascular system, predisposing you to increased risks for heart attacks because they result to the production of hormones that cause arteries to constrict, raising blood pressure. Living a more mindful lifestyle, strengthening social bonds and reducing stress can help reverse this process.
Heart attacks may not be totally preventable especially because genes and family history play a crucial role in their pathology. However, you can drastically lower your risk by taking a more active role your physical and emotional health.
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