Welcome to a dialogue about heart health, where knowledge meets action and where every beat counts.

The heart is the unyielding engine that keeps us alive and well in the complex web of our health. However, heart disease stands as a powerful opponent in the shadow cast by contemporary lifestyles and genetic predispositions.

Moreover, many different things can lead to heart disease, but it is still one of the worst killers in the world. You can greatly lower your risk of heart disease by identifying and dealing with these risk factors. 

This article discusses five major risk factors for cardiovascular disease and provides advice on how to lower your risk by making healthy lifestyle choices and avoiding risky behaviours.

1. Lifestyle Choices: Tobacco Use and Alcohol Consumption 

Cigarette smoke causes numerous health problems, including atherosclerosis and heart attacks, and is a primary cause of cardiovascular disease. Cigarette smoke increases blood pressure due to nicotine and decreases blood oxygen saturation due to carbon monoxide. Even for people who don’t smoke, being around secondhand smoke raises the risk of heart disease. Just like how drinking too much can raise blood pressure and triglyceride levels (a kind of blood fat), it can also increase the risk of heart disease. Drinking in moderation is essential; guidelines say that women should not exceed one drink a day and men should not exceed two.

2. Size of the Waist and Weight

Heart and circulation illnesses, such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and stroke, are intimately associated with being overweight or obese. People whose waistlines are disproportionately large are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Important risk indicators are waist circumference and body mass index (BMI), with different gender and ethnicity-specific cutoffs for each.

3. Genetic Factors and Family History

A person’s genetic makeup greatly influences the likelihood of getting heart disease. Having a personal or family history of cardiovascular disease puts an individual at a higher risk, and engaging in risky behaviours like smoking and eating poorly only makes the situation worse. While there is no way to alter your DNA, knowing your family history can help you start screenings and preventative actions sooner rather than later.

4. Race, ethnicity, sex, and age

Cardiovascular disease risk rises with age and differs between the sexes, with males often facing a greater risk at a younger age than women. But cardiovascular disease kills more people than any other single cause, regardless of gender. 

5. Nutrition and Exercise

A sedentary lifestyle is associated with an increased risk of obesity and its complications, including diabetes and hypertension, and a diet rich in saturated and trans fats, cholesterol, salt, and added sweets raises the risk of cardiovascular disease. A heart-healthy diet that includes enough of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats, in addition to regular exercise, can greatly lower the likelihood of developing heart disease.

Mitigating Risk: Proactive Steps Toward Heart Health

Knowing what causes heart disease is only half the battle; the other half is taking measures to reduce those risks. Incorporating regular physical activity, eating a balanced diet, not smoking, controlling alcohol use, reaching and maintaining a healthy weight, and so on can significantly reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. In order to recognise and control risk factors early on, which allows for prompt treatments, regular health checks are also crucial. You greatly enhance your odds of having a healthy heart and a longer, fuller life by controlling the variables that are under your control.

To conclude 

A person’s genetic makeup, way of life, and environmental circumstances all have a role in the development of cardiovascular disease. You can live a healthier life and drastically lower your risk by concentrating on things you can change, such as your food and lifestyle choices. No matter how old you are, you may always do what you can to improve your heart health.

Contact Us

Website – https://drsaritaraocardiologist.com

Contact Number – +91 9893925000

Email – info@drsaritaraocardiologist.com