| Heart disease is one of the most prolific killers on the | | | | on your heart. As you gain weight your heart is forced |
| planet with over half a million men and women falling | | | | to work harder. Additionally, artery clogging bad |
| victim each year. By knowing what the risk factors for | | | | cholesterol and triglyceride levels increase in correlation |
| heart disease are, and using that information to make | | | | with the amount of weight gain. |
| lifestyle and dietary changes (if possible), a person can | | | | *Inactivity: Being a couch potato is not a heart healthy |
| dramatically reduce their chances of having a heart | | | | practice. Regular, moderate to vigorous physical |
| attack or stroke. So if you have a few minutes why | | | | activity helps prevent heart and blood vessel disease. |
| don't we walk through them together. | | | | The more intense the workout the greater the benefit. |
| Risk factors of heart disease that can't be changed | | | | *High blood pressure: High blood pressure forces the |
| *Heredity: If your either one of your parents has a | | | | heart to work harder causing it to thicken and become |
| history of heart disease chances are you are at risk. | | | | less pliable. It also increases the risk of congestive |
| Those with a family history of heart disease tend to | | | | heart failure, kidney failure, and heart attack. |
| have multiple risk factors, and being able to manage | | | | *Diabetes: Three out of every four people with |
| these factors effectively becomes a very important | | | | diabetes will die from some form of heart or blood |
| part of any cardiovascular health plan. | | | | vessel disease. |
| *Age: As we age our chances of dying increase | | | | *Stress: Recent research seems to prove that stress |
| dramatically with about 80 percent of heart related | | | | not only is one of the major risk factors for heart |
| fatalities occurring over the age of 65. | | | | disease but it tends to alter a person's health behaviors |
| *Just being a man: Men tend to have a greater risk of | | | | in a negative way. For instance smokers are likely to |
| heart attack than women, and tend to have them | | | | smoke more and exercise less when they are under |
| earlier in life. Even after a women passes through | | | | stress. |
| menopause her chances of dying of a heart attack | | | | *Drinking too much: Boozing it up can raise blood |
| are not as great as a mans. | | | | pressure, cause heart failure and lead to stroke. On |
| Risk factors of heart disease that can be changed | | | | the other hand one and a half ounces of red wine daily |
| *High cholesterol: As blood cholesterol rises so does | | | | may have the opposite effect. |
| the risk of coronary heart disease. Anything cholesterol | | | | In summary, controlling and managing risk factors for |
| reading over 240 mg/dl is considered high risk. | | | | heart disease are an important part of preventing a |
| *Smoking is not heart healthy: Smoking increases the | | | | heart attack or stroke. Additionally, many natural health |
| risk of developing coronary heart disease by up to | | | | minded individuals have found that by including a natural |
| four fold. It is also increases a person's chances of | | | | cholesterol reduction supplement in their proactive risk |
| sudden cardiac arrest by a factor of two. | | | | reduction plan they have been to achieve even better |
| *Weight gain: Packing on the pounds is especially hard | | | | results. |