Chronic heart disease consists of several health conditions related to the heart such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol or a heart attack. When these health conditions are persistent or frequent this is what classifies heart disease as chronic.Your diet can have significant effects on heart disease--positive or negative. A healthy diet helps to prevent heart disease while an unhealthy diet can contribute to heart disease development and progression.
Saturated Fat and Chronic Heart Disease
Saturated fat can be particularly damaging to the circulatory system. Heart disease involves a number of health conditions related to your heart and your blood vessels. Saturated fats are packaged into LDL cholesterol for travel through the bloodstream. LDL cholesterol builds up in the walls of blood vessels and arteries. Over time, plaques develop, cutting off the flow of blood making it more difficult to blood to flow easily. Subsequently, the heart has to work harder to pump blood to the entire body.
Cholesterol and Chronic Heart Disease
The body manufactures all of the cholesterol it needs, which means that dietary sources of additional cholesterol are generally unnecessary. However, a typical diet injects plentiful amounts of cholesterol into your system. High blood can build up within the blood vessels and create plaques, which increase the risk for a heart attack. Sources of cholesterol in the diet include red meat, whole fat milk and dairy products, egg yolks and shrimp.
Salt and Chronic Heart Disease
Diets high in salt have an effect on heart disease since too much salt contributes to high blood pressure. High blood pressure due to high salt intake and the resulting increased pressure on the arterial walls weakens them and decreases their elasticity. Elasticity is important in order to handle the pressure of your blood flow. High blood pressure weakens and hardens the vessels, causing the heart to work harder. Foods high in salt include cured or salted meats like bacon, sausage and ham, potato chips, french fries, processed foods and canned vegetables and soups.
Trans Fat and Chronic Heart Disease
Trans fat has a serious effect on heart disease. Trans fat is fat that has been hydrogenated to make the fat into a more solid product. Trans fat raises the unhealthy type of cholesterol in the body while lowering the good cholesterol. A study published in the April 2006 "New England Journal of Medicine" estimates that eliminating trans fat from the U.S. food supply could prevent between 6 and 19 percent of heart attacks. Sources of trans fat primarily come from food prepared in restaurants and in fast food. Foods with trans fat are frequently prepared in baked goods, margarines, processed foods and snack foods.
