Heart disease is a devastating condition. It is known to be one of the leading causes of death across the world. There are some risk factors which make you more exposed to get a heart disease. Broadly, there are two types of risks: modifiable risk factors – the ones you can control such as diet, weight, lifestyle; and non-modifiable risk factors - ones you can’t control, like genetics.
However, the good news is that your choices can control your heart health. No matter what your age or sex, you can greatly reduce your chances of heart diseases by taking preventive measures.
Following are the tips to prevent heart diseases:
• Invest your time in your health
The more you take care of your health, diseases …show more content…
Blood lipids include LDL (bad cholestrol), HDL (good cholestrol) and trigycerides. The focus should be on lowering LDL and increasing HDL. Three factors mainly determine the amount of cholesterol in the blood. Firstly, the amount produced by the liver (this is largely genetic); secondly, the amount absorbed from the intestinal tract and, finally, cholesterol increases with age. If you are at risk, medication is necessary to lower the LDL or to raise your HDL. If you have a strong family history of abnormal cholesterol increase, drug therapy is needed.
• Limit your calorie intake
If you have diabetes or you are obese, your risk is the same as someone who already had a heart attack. Obesity is caused by consuming more calories than your body burns. Consume only the calories you need for a day. Say no to excess food and eat more nutrient-rich and heart friendly food. Cut down sugar and salt in your diet. Develop an overall healthy dietary pattern that emphasizes on a variety of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, skinless poultry and fish, nuts and legumes, non-tropical vegetable oils.
• Exercise – make it a daily