If you have a family history of the condition, or have any one of a number of risk factors including diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, hardening of the arteries, or are overweight statistics tell us that without proper management your chances of having a heart attack increase greatly.
Additionally, while stress is not typically listed as one of the primary risk factors anecdotal evidence tends to paint a different picture.
Winning the battle against heart disease
Our heart pumps around 180,000 times each day. Since it is a muscle over time it starts to wear out with capacity falling 33 percent by the age of 65 and 50 percent by the age of 80.
I am not a doctor but common sense tells me if a person cannot offset these numbers in some way they likely will have a heart attack, stroke, or fall victim to heart failure at some point.
Factoid: Almost 50 percent of heart attack victims either fail to participate in regular exercise are unable to because of some type of physical problem.
The American Heart Association recommends 30 minutes of doctor approved exercise daily. Other reputable sources recommend doctor approved exercise every other day.
The common thread here is in order to give yourself the best chance of avoiding a heart attack you must stay active.
Additionally, exercise has been shown to reduce bad cholesterol (LDL) and increase good cholesterol levels (HDL).
Lose weight. The whole aging process is conducive to weight gain as metabolism slows down, energy levels decline, bone and joint pain increases, and activity levels decrease. Being as little as 10 percent overweight can increase the chances of heart attack or stroke. Added weight also puts pressure on the heart to pump more blood making an already weakening heart work even harder.
Stop smoking. I had seven uncles all of which were smokers. All but one died before the age of 60 with one making it to 70 having survived 5 heart attacks along the way. I am not saying that smoking was the only culprit but statistics tell us that either smoking or being around smokers greatly increases the chances of cardiovascular disease. It also decreases good blood cholesterol (HDL) and may cause inflammation on the walls of our arteries. Some believe it is this type of inflammation that starts the formation of dangerous arterial plaque deposits.
A heart healthy diet. Cholesterol is the major building block for arterial plaque. The theory goes that by reducing blood cholesterol levels you will have less arterial cholesterol accumulation thus decreasing the chances for heart attack, stroke, and/or atherosclerosis.
The American Heart Association suggest a diet that consists of no more than 7 percent saturated fat and 200 mg of cholesterol. Additionally, research suggests that adding heart healthy soluble fiber choices to your diet such as grains, oats, oat bran, brown rice, apples, and beans may reduce cardiovascular risk.
Two additional tips for heart health regularly suggested by both natural health practitioners and cardiologists alike is to add heart healthy omega 3 fatty acids and foods high in allicin such as garlic and onions to your diet at least twice a week.
What about cholesterol lowering statin medication? No doubt these widely prescribed drugs are effective and can lower blood cholesterol by up to 40 percent in a week or two. That said, new research for the NIH tells us that they also dramatically increase ones chances for type 2 diabetes. So while statins are a good option they aren't as safe as once thought. The good news here is there are a number of natural alternative that might be worth asking your doctor about.
In conclusion, there are no assurances when it comes to winning the battle against heart disease but by using the information above as a starting point to build a comprehensive doctor approved plan you will be greatly improving your chances of not becoming another heart attack or stroke statistic.
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