Your Risk Factors, And Steps Take For Heart Disease Prevention

 Heart disease is the number one cause of death in the United States. The most common type is coronary heart disease. Risk factors include high cholesterol, obesity, and high blood pressure. It usually takes years for symptoms to appear; Often the first symptom is a sudden heart attack. Although there is no cure, it can often be treated with lifestyle changes and medication.

Coronary arteries are blood vessels that carry blood and oxygen to the heart muscle. When these arteries become covered with fatty deposits called plaque, it is called coronary artery disease, coronary heart disease, or heart disease. Clogged arteries can prevent the heart from getting enough blood and oxygen, causing chest pain. If the blood clots, it can stop the blood flow in the arteries and lead to a heart attack.

In a process called atherosclerosis, plaque builds up in the arteries over many years. One of the causes of plaque in the arteries is too much cholesterol in the blood. When plaque builds up, arteries narrow and become blocked. Arteries may become less elastic, often referred to as "hardening of the arteries".

Although risk factors are not the actual cause of heart disease, they increase a person's chance of developing it, including:

Age 

Being a man

Having high cholesterol levels, also known as hypercholesterolemia

High blood pressure is also called hypertension

Diabetes

Being overweight or obese

Not sports

Smoking

Having a close relative with heart disease at an early age: 

Steps to prevent heart disease:

Know your risk factors

Take control of your health

Know your family history

Change your lifestyle and become more active

Make daily changes such as eating more fruits and vegetables and reducing your daily sodium intake

Take medicine

Important life changes include:

Increase productivity

Maintain a healthy weight

Eat a balanced, heart-healthy, low-sodium diet

Control blood pressure and cholesterol

Prevent or manage diabetes

Smoking is not allowed

Don't be too hard on yourself to start doing something that will help your heart. If you do, you will not change or do anything, or you will be stuck with change. You can start with these 2 steps:

Make better, healthier food choices about what you eat, especially less salt and sugar, and less fruit and vegetables. You can start by adding salad or milk to your daily diet.

Activate. You can start by walking. Park your car further away from the door. Learn breathing techniques like Ago because deep breathing helps your lungs and heart get oxygen.

Start a healthy lifestyle today. Small changes and better decisions can help your heart and increase your chances of improving, reversing, or preventing heart disease.