Deaths from heart disease are alarmingly common in the United States, making it crucial for you to know your risk for cardiovascular complications and how to prevent this affliction from claiming you as a victim. The sad truth is that most of us know more about the risks and costs of our automobiles than we do about our bodies.
Did you know that heart disease, or cardiovascular disease (CVD), is the number one cause of death in America? In the United States, there’s a heart attack happening every 29 seconds and a death each minute. With statistics like these, it’s time to learn more about the causes and risk factors of this significant problem.
Understanding Atherosclerosis
Atherosclerosis refers to the buildup of calcified fatty deposits or lesions inside the heart artery walls. The process happens over time and is quite well understood in the medical scientific community.
Autopsy studies have shown that virtually every adult male age 20 and older in America has atherosclerosis already developing to some degree. When these lesions reach a point where they significantly restrict the blood flow to the heart muscle, it can cause symptoms like angina or even a heart attack. An estimated 64% of men with atherosclerosis experience a heart attack as their first symptom, and about 50% of men die from their first heart attack.
Not only is heart disease the leading cause of death in America, but it is also at least 80% preventable without medications. Therefore, learning about the underlying contributing causes of atherosclerosis and related conditions is crucial.
Risk Factors for CVD
Some risk factors for CVD are beyond your control, such as family history of coronary artery disease, aging (particularly if you’re older than 65), and menopause if you’re female. However, most risk factors are within your control:
- Tobacco smoking: Doubles your risk of heart attack.
- High blood pressure: Increases the risk of heart disease and stroke.
- Diabetes mellitus: Known to increase CVD risk.
- Metabolic syndrome: Leads to high insulin in your blood (which triggers lipid oxidation and makes cholesterol “sticky”), abdominal obesity (also called VAT or Visceral Adipose Tissue), glucose intolerance, and hypertension.
- Sedentary lifestyle: Lack of physical exercise increases the risk of many health problems, including heart disease.
- Overweight/obesity: Excess weight can lead to various health issues, including CVD.
- Eating refined sugar: Known to elevate systolic blood pressure, contributes to diabetes and metabolic syndrome, and causes atherosclerosis, among other issues.
- Eating hydrogenated oils and trans-fats: Promotes atherosclerosis even more strongly than saturated animal fats; several studies have clearly shown that trans-fats are closely associated with heart attacks.
- Emotional stress, anger, and depression: These emotions can increase the risk of heart disease.
- Lack of sexual intimacy and low testosterone levels in men: Can be linked with an increased risk of heart problems.
- Radiation exposure: Oxidizes LDL (low-density lipoprotein, or “bad” cholesterol) and makes it electrically sticky on heart blood vessel walls.
- Oxidative stress: Derives from heavy metal exposure (i.e., mercury), radiation, and cigarette smoke.
- Electromagnetic frequencies (EMFs): Emitted by cell phones, televisions, microwave ovens, laptop computers, hairdryers, etc.
- Pesticides and herbicides: Exposure to these chemicals can be harmful to human health.
- Hormones and antibiotics: Present in animal livestock and xenoestrogens (hormone mimickers), which are found in plastics, spermicides, detergents, and personal-care products.
- Prescription medications: Drugs used to treat heart disease, high cholesterol, or high blood pressure can weaken the heart.
- Thickened blood: Damages the endothelium (inner lining of the blood vessels), triggering more inflammatory chemicals and clotting factors.
- Chronic infections: Respiratory, urinary tract, or dental infections can significantly increase the rate of atherosclerosis.
If you see something on this list that you know you can stop, change or reverse in your life, it is worth taking action to address the risk factors and prevent CVD. For those who are at high risk of CVD or already have it, it’s better to address the contributing causes first before resorting to prescription medications.
Cutting-Edge Blood Tests for Cardiovascular Risk
To further help you discover your cardiovascular risk, be aware of the cutting-edge blood tests available. These tests can be done by a cardiologist or your primary care physician. It’s never too late to start investing in your health and taking steps to reduce your risk of heart disease.
