Did you know that one of the leading causes of death worldwide is heart disease? But death can be avoided because heart diseases are preventable.
The first step towards the prevention of cardiovascular diseases is understanding your risk factors. While most people associate heart disease with lifestyle choices, there are also other factors that are equally important, such as genetics.
You can safeguard your heart health by identifying your risks early and taking proactive steps.
Understanding the Risk Factors for Heart Disease
There are a number of factors that contribute to heart disease. Some of these can be modified with lifestyle and behavioral changes, while others, such as genetics, cannot be controlled.
- Modifiable Risk Factors
These are those that you can control through changes in behavior and lifestyle:
- Unhealthy Diet: Saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, and sodium-rich diets raise the risk of heart disease.
- Diabetes: Uncontrolled diabetes substantially increases the risk for heart disease through its impact on the blood vessels and circulation.
- Tobacco Smoking and Heavy Alcohol Consumption: Both tobacco and heavy alcohol use cause harm to the blood vessels and heart.
- Physical Inactivity: Being physically inactive causes obesity, elevated blood pressure, and high blood cholesterol.
- High Blood Pressure (Hypertension): Untreated high blood pressure injures arteries and elevates the risk of heart attack and stroke.
- Being Overweight or Obese: Excess weight places extra work on the heart and can develop into diabetes and high blood pressure.
- High Cholesterol Level: High blood cholesterol can result in the deposition of plaque within the arteries, hardening and stiffening them, and the development of cardiovascular problems.
- Stress: Chronic stress may lead to high blood pressure and adverse coping mechanisms such as overindulgence or cigarette smoking.
- Non-Modifiable Risk Factors
Though these cannot be modified, knowing them enables individuals to take preventive action:
- Gender: Generally, men are at higher risk, but post-menopause, the risk in women is quite high.
- Age: With aging, the risk of heart disease grows, particularly after 45 years in men and after 55 years in women.
- Family History: If a close relative has heart disease, your own risk is higher, suggesting a possible genetic component.
- Ethnicity: Some ethnic groups, such as African Americans, Hispanics, and South Asians, have a greater incidence of heart disease.
How to Evaluate Your Risk of Heart Disease
Learning about your risk factors is the initial step toward prevention. There are a number of methods to determine your chances of getting heart disease.
- Genetic Testing for Heart Disease
Genetic testing for heart disease is one of the excellent methods for predicting heart disease risk. This type of testing examines particular genes used in cardiovascular disease, detecting inherited risk.
By testing their heart disease genetics, patients can see if they have the genetic predisposition for increased heart risk. If tested, people will be aware at an early age to modify heart-threatening lifestyles and to seek specific doctor-approved recommendations that work according to individual genes.
- Regular Medical Exams and Risk Scores
Routine visits to a health care provider assist in evaluating risk factors, including blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and weight. Most physicians employ risk calculators, e.g., the Framingham Risk Score or the ASCVD Risk Estimator, to calculate the individual’s probability of developing heart disease within a given time.
- Blood Tests and Biomarker Screening
Blood tests are used to measure cholesterol, blood glucose levels, and markers of inflammation, including C-reactive protein (CRP). Elevated CRP levels can be a sign of greater cardiovascular risk.
- Imaging Tests
Using special imaging, which includes coronary calcium scanning and echocardiography, the onset of blockages within arteries can be diagnosed in the early stages, as well as determining heart functioning.
What Steps to Take to Reduce Your Heart Disease Risk
Once you have understood your risk factors, the next step is to take proactive measures to safeguard your heart. Here are some of the steps you can take:
- Adopt a heart-healthy diet consisting of vegetables and fruits rich in antioxidants, healthy fats, fiber-rich foods, whole grains, and lean proteins.
- Limit alcohol intake and quit smoking.
- Limit the intake of excess sugar, processed foods, and saturated fats to maintain healthy cholesterol levels.
- Engage in at least 75 minutes of vigorous exercise or 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week.
- Manage stress levels.
- Maintain a healthy weight.
- Regularly monitor and manage health conditions.
Conclusion
Prevention of heart disease starts with understanding your risks and making wise decisions. Although some risk factors are unavoidable, many can be controlled through lifestyle and medical therapies. All the best!
