There Are Several Coronary Heart Disease Risk Factors
If a person has coronary heart disease then their myocardium does not receive enough of the oxygen or other nutrients that it requires to function effectively. The myocardium is the heart muscle and it pumps blood to other parts of the body. The main cause of coronary heart disease is atherosclerosis, a condition in which the coronary arteries are narrowed by a buildup of hard plaque. This plaque is what stops the arteries from circulating sufficient blood to the heart muscle. It is estimated that around fourteen million Americans have coronary heart disease and it is a significant cause of death in this country. There are many coronary heart disease risk factors and most of them can be avoided.
What You Can Prevent
Prevention is without doubt the most effective coronary heart disease treatment. Once an individual knows about the avoidable coronary heart disease risk factors they can then make some simple lifestyle amendments. Controllable coronary heart disease risk factors include obesity, smoking, diabetes, high LDL cholesterol, low HDL cholesterol, anxiety, hypertension and lack of exercise.
All of these coronary heart disease risk factors can be circumvented by making certain changes such as eating a balanced diet that is low in sugar, salt and saturated fat. Exercising at least three or four times a week is also beneficial. If you are overweight you should also reduce your calorie intake in order to get down to a normal BMI. Making time to relax is helpful if you want to avoid stress. You can also reduce your risk of developing coronary heart disease if you stay away from vices such as smoking and drinking too much alcohol.
All that is needed in order to implement these simple lifestyle changes is a little determination and a willingness to change. Living a healthy lifestyle may be difficult to do at first but do not give up because it gets much easier once you become accustomed to living that way. Furthermore, it is comforting to know that by making certain changes you have eliminated several coronary heart disease risk factors as well as reducing your chances of developing numerous other health conditions.
Other Causes
Unfortunately there are some coronary heart disease risk factors that are beyond our control. For instance, men are more susceptible to the condition than women, as are those people who have a family history of the disease. Old age is another factor that increases the risk of developing coronary heart disease. There is nothing that can be done to avoid these risks.
Certain medical conditions are also coronary heart disease risk factors. Such conditions include a congenital abnormality of the coronary arteries, abnormal blood clotting and certain autoimmune diseases. You cannot do anything to avoid these health conditions but you can at least make the changes that are possible to help reduce the probability of developing coronary heart disease.
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