Am I at Risk For Heart Disease?
By Jan Shimano
To begin with, we will examine the five risk factors that you can do nothing about. Because of that, it is recommended that you have regular medical checkups and have any screening tests that your doctor advises you to undergo.
Here they are:-
AGE - Of all the people who die of coronary heart disease, 85 percent of them are 65 years of age or older;
GENDER - If you are a man, then you do have a greater risk that a woman. Men have more attacks earlier in life. Even after women are through the menopause stage, their death rate is still not as great as that of men;
HEREDITY AND FAMILY HISTORY - If your parents had heart disease, especially if the onset was prior to age 55, then you are more likely to develop it;
CONGENITAL RISKS - Inherited problems and genetic abnormalities will increase the risk of heart problems;
MENOPAUSE - Prior to a woman reaching menopause, her hormones seem to protect her heart and blood vessels. However, estrogen levels significantly decrease during menopause. As a result of that, the risk for heart disease increases.
Now for the good news....there are a number of factors that are well within your control and if you pay close attention to these and modify your lifestyle and behaviour, then you can make a tremendous difference in the health of your heart.
Here are three controllable risk factors.
HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE - Your heart is having to work overtime if you have hypertension, causing it to enlarge and weaken over time. High blood pressure is also known to increase your risk of stroke, heart attack, congestive heart failure and kidney failure. If you are also obese, smoke, have high cholesterol levels or diabetes, then your risk of having a heart attack multiplies;
DIABETES - Unfortunately, two thirds of people with diabetes die from some form of heart or blood vessel disease. This is even if their glucose levels are under control. Therefore, it is critical, if you are a diabetic, to diligently monitor your levels and do everything you can to control it;
HIGH BLOOD CHOLESTEROL - As blood cholesterol levels increase so does the risk of coronary heart disease. If you happen to smoke and also have high blood pressure, then the risk increases even more. Your cholesterol level can also be affected by your age, gender, heredity and diet.
There are numerous treatments for all of the above three risk factors. However, in many cases it is just a matter of a change in lifestyle. For instance, smoking is very harmful to not only the health of your heart and your blood vessels, but many other organs of your body. Giving up smoking might take a great deal of effort and self control, but you ask anyone that has done it, and invariably they will tell you how much better they now feel.
Our diet is also well within our control. Try to get as many fruits and vegetables into your diet as possible. Make good protein choices, such as fish, skinless chicken and turkey and legumes. Low fat and non-fat dairy products are recommended also. Use monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats such as olive, canola and corn oil.
Even though you might be one of those persons who has been dealt a raw hand when it comes to risk factors, there is still so much that you can do to keep your heart and blood vessels as healthy as they can be for you. It really is worth all the effort you can muster to do this.
Jan Shimano was District Manager for Health & Welfare Canada for many years. She was also self-employed as a Nutritional Consultant and a Master Herbalist. She is currently a Business & Health Coach working from her home on Vancouver Island. Jan invites you to visit her website at http://www.HowToRegainYourHealth.com where you will find more information on health issues. To learn more about Jan and her business visit http://www.JanShimano.com At both websites, you can subscribe to her free newsletters.
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