Prevent Heart Disease
Preventing Heart Disease By Healthy Lifestyle &
Diet
Smokey the Bear used to say that only you can prevent forest
fires and the same goes for heart disease. The only way to
prevent heart disease is by living healthy lifestyle, and
a friendly diet.
Preventing heart disease steps can be taken as early as two
years old, especially in children whose parents or even second
level relations have coronary problems should keep an eye
closely on their diet to make sure that they follow a healthy
diet. Low fat diet, and plenty of exercise should be taken
to prevent heart disease.
There are many foods such as vegetables and fruits that can
supply many of the needed vitamins and minerals without the
bad cholesterol. The amount of low-density lipoproteins, known
as LDL, or bad cholesterol, should be under 200 to help in
order to prevent heart disease. Borderline high LDL ranges
from 200 to 239 and anything over 240 is considered high cholesterol.
Lifestyle Modifications
If you are smoker, quit immediately as another way to prevent
heart disease. If you have trouble, you can work with your
healthcare provider on a program to help kick the habit. Nicotine
can cause the release of adrenaline and shrinking the blood
vessels. When the vessels become reduced in size, the heart
has to pump harder to move the same volume of blood, which
can cause an increase in blood pressure.
Alcohol also has been identified as another cause of heart
disease, therefore, you should limit the amount of alcohol
ingested. Quit alcohol too if you are at risk of heart disease.
If you are overweight, try to lose weight to prevent heart
disease. Many people who are overweight also develop diabetes,
which can cause of host of other problems.
Being overweight forces the heart work harder, which will
then increase the odds of developing high blood pressure.
Persons who take hormone replacement therapy also have a higher
risk for heart disease. With proper exercise, it can help
to reduce your weight, if necessary and can also help strengthen
your heart muscle as well as the arterial walls to help prevent
stroke.
The American Heart Association has many tips for diets and
exercise that can help you prevent heart disease. Even you
already have heart disease, the tips will be able to help
you maintain a healthy life even if you already have heart
disease. For example, research proves that a person who quits
smoking will, with in two to three years, have the same odds
of developing heart disease as a person who never smoked.
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