The Most Common Causes of Heart Disease
Throughout the developed world, heart disease is on the rise. While medical understanding of the issue in great detail has only existed for a few decades, there is ample reason to believe that the prevalence of heart disease continues to increase as our lifestyles change. Millions of people suffer with heart-related conditions and illnesses, with heart disease being the number one cause of death in the UK. We all know somebody who has suffered from heart disease, but what are the major factors driving it? We’ll review the most common causes of heart disease so that you can avoid these bad habits in the future.
High Blood Pressure
High blood pressure is a dangerous long-term condition that can lead to numerous problems if left untreated. The body can regulate its own blood pressure quite easily when we are young, but as time progresses, a combination of lifestyle factors and the ageing process can cause our blood pressure regulation to weaken. The most common reasons for high blood pressure include excessive salt in the diet, a lack of proper exercise and the effects of some forms of medication. The best way to reduce this threat is to eliminate most sodium from your diet, exercise regularly and stay healthy in other ways to avoid medications that cause these spikes. In addition, there are a variety of cardio care supplements that can assist.
Smoking
Cigarettes and other tobacco products have long been known to cause a variety of physical ailments. Heart disease is a major side-effect of constant tobacco usage. Worldwide, tobacco kills 5 million people per year and in some countries is responsible for as much as 25 percent of all deaths. The number of people who die from smoking due to heart disease is a substantial portion of that. The effects of smoking on the heart increases the chance of heart attack, stroke and a variety of cardiovascular diseases. Smokers are twice as likely to die from a heart attack as non-smokers and three times more likely to develop some form of heart disease.
Congenital Problems
Congenital heart issues are another common cause of heart disease, but many of these defects are not detected until it is too late. Being born with vulnerabilities in the heart affects approximately one percent of the global population; without treatment, virtually all are guaranteed to develop one form of heart disease or another at some point in their lives. Healthy living and exercise won’t prevent congenital heart problems from developing or exacerbating necessarily, but detection and proper treatment can reduce the likelihood of the problem evolving into something greater.
Diet
The body works hard to keep itself healthy, but we sometimes have other plans. As we mentioned above, high sodium intake increases the likelihood of heart disease over time, but there are several other culprits as well. Caffeine, excess body fat resulting from poor diet and even alcohol consumption can all increase the chance of heart disease in otherwise healthy people. By avoiding fatty, fried foods, sugars, salt and excessive alcohol consumption, this very common cause of heart disease can be avoided.
There are so many potential causes of heart diseases that it is hard to list them all here. These four, however, are among the most common reasons why people develop heart-related issues. By being proactive in maintaining your health, you can substantially reduce the risk of heart disease from impacting you in the future.