Our heart is one of the most important organs that needs a lot of extreme care. Unfortunately, more and more people suffer from heart disease. At present, heart disease is very common and worse- it is one of the leading causes of death anywhere in the world.
This condition exempts no one; even a new born baby can have a certain type of heart disease. How much more the older people who don’t watch what they eat and don’t even care to exercise.
Heart disease, like any other medical condition, has causes. Identifying the causes of heart disease will greatly help in preventing the progression of any heart condition and in giving the right treatment. The causes of a heart disease maybe very common, but the consequences and impact of the same are fearfully bad for your health. The causes of heart disease may include high blood cholesterol, diabetes, obesity and over weight, smoking, heredity, alcohol, birth control pills, sex hormones, and more.
High blood cholesterol plays a gigantic role in most types of heart disease. Cholesterol is a fatty substance which is carried in our blood and is also found in all our body cells, which causes heart disease. If this fatty substance may stick in our arteries and builds up to form a plaque, it will then result to the narrowing of arteries. The narrowing of our arteries interrupts the blood flow, causing less supply of oxygen and other nutrients to our hearts and other parts of the body. If worse comes to worst when the arteries are blocked because of the fatty substance build up, a heart attack occurs.
Heart problem is one of the causes of death among the people with diabetes. If a person is found out to have diabetes, he or she should be under a doctor’s care to monitor blood sugar levels, and therefore reduce the risk of heart disease.
Obesity and over- weight are among the causes of heart disease. If you are overweight, it is likely that you have high cholesterol levels and high blood pressure resulting to a high risk of heart disease. Obesity increases the chances of developing heart condition. To know if you are obese, the doctors are measuring obesity in terms of body mass index (BMI), which is your weight in kilograms divided by your height in meters squared, [ BMI= W (kg) / H (m²) ]. You are considered over weight if the result is over 25; obese if over 30 is the result. In addition, people who are obese and over weight are usually physically inactive. They don’t entertain the idea of a regular exercise, and if they do, just the thought tires them already (just like me!).
Smoking is one of the causes of heart disease. It greatly increases your risk of heart disease and peripheral vascular disease, disease in the blood vessels that supply blood to your arms and legs. Many people die each year because of illnesses brought about by smoking and some of these deaths are due to the effects of smoking on the heart and blood vessels.
A heart disease can be hereditary. A heart condition has a possibility to be passed from one generation to another.
Studies shows that people who drink moderate alcohol has a lower risk of having heart disease compared to nondrinkers. A moderate intake of alcohol averages to one or two drinks a day for men and one drink a day for women. More than moderate intake of alcohol, on the other hand, is one of the causes of heart disease.
It’s never too late to take care of your health and your heart. Do the things which are good for your health and heart, and avoid those that aren’t. Nobody knows yourself better that you! Start caring for your health and stop the causes of heart disease.