You already know about heart disease, the number one killer in the U.S. You may not know that you don't have to be one of its victims. The long-held belief that you are doomed to develop heart disease if it runs in your family holds little water these days. According to the American Heart Association, heredity does not have to be destiny. While your family health does influence your propensity toward cardiac disease, other factors do as well. Unlike genes, diet and exercise fall within your control. They can work against you or for you. The choice is yours.
Prevalence
The number of people in a population who have a disease at a given time indicates its prevalence. According to the American Heart Association, 81 million Americans had some form of heart disease in 2006. The figures included victims of heart attacks, angina, stroke, heart failure and hypertension. Heart disease claimed the lives of over 800,000 people that year, but incidents declined 12.9 percent from the previous decade.
Significance
Newer medications, early intervention and better life-saving efforts probably contributed to the decline in mortality between 1996 and 2006. Education and awareness may have made a difference as well. Thanks to a concerted effort at public education and one-on-one counseling of patients by medical professionals, more people learn every day how to use the factors of diet and exercise in their favor.
Onset
Atherosclerosis serves as a precursor to heart disease. The MayoClinic.com explains that this disease starts when sticky low-density cholesterol particles in the blood accumulate on the inner walls of the arteries and form plaque. The plaque blocks and impairs the blood flow and its hardness causes arteries to stiffen. Hardened arteries cause high blood pressure. Blockages occur most frequently in the arteries that supply the heart with blood and in the large arteries that ascend from the neck to the brain. Atherosclerosis causes coronary artery disease, strokes and angina pectoris, or intermittent chest pain due to poor blood flow.
The Roles of Lifestyle and Heredity
You can have no family history of heart disease and still develop it if you smoke or eat high cholesterol foods and stay overweight and sedentary. Likewise, you could have a lot of heart disease in your family and never develop it, if you lead a healthy lifestyle. Heredity, diet and your activity level can all act together to cause cardiac disease. Exercise raises your levels of "good" artery cleaning high-density cholesterol. It also keeps your weight down and strengthens your muscles, heart and circulatory system. Since you cannot change your heredity, you need to change the factors that you can control.
Prevention
You can't change the heredity factor, but you can do some important things to avoid developing atherosclerosis. For a healthful diet, eat an abundance of fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Eat lean beef, pork and lamb in moderation. Skinless chicken and fish that are high in omega-3 fatty oils can supply the bulk your protein. Beans eaten with whole grain rice or pasta provide ample protein and soy products make a good protein source as well. Eat your eggs and low- fat dairy in moderation. Avoid processed foods and salt when you can. Limit high fat, high sugar desserts. Keep sugar intake to a minimum. Get some exercise, especially if you have a sedentary job. A brisk walk will suffice. Get at least seven hours of sleep. Make water your main beverage. Avoid tobacco products; drink alcohol sparingly; drink a glass of red wine or eat a bunch of red grapes each day; get at least seven hours of sleep every day and find healthy outlets for dealing with stress.
