Heart Disease Overview

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Heart disease is a generic term which is applied to a wide variety of health conditions and problems that affect the heart. As the name implies, these conditions and problems are generally related to the heart or its connected systems that the heart relies on.

For instance, the circulatory system which carries blood to and from the heart can have weaknesses, ruptures, or blockages which cause problems with the heart itself, and these conditions are considered to be part of heart disease. In fact, the heart itself can haven any number of hidden abnormalities that won’t may never manifest or only under stress. Generally speaking, anything which interferes with the supply of blood and oxygen to and from the heart is lumped under the generic brand of heart disease.

There has been a lot of new information released to the public from scientists and researchers in recent years about heart disease, and unfortunately a lot of that information is still somewhat conflicting. As early as twenty or thirty years ago for instance, scientists claimed that eating foods high in cholesterol or fat would cause you to have heart disease and a variety of related problems.

So based on this information, it was recommended that people cut down on their consumption of red meat. Some people even took this to the extreme and stopped eating all foods which contained cholesterol, in an attempt to keep their hearts healthier.

Research in heart disease is constantly being conducted, and new developments and therapies are being discovered as this article is being written. However, there are some constants related to heart disease–

Changeable risk factors include:

* Hypertension

* Cholesterol levels

* Obesity

* Diabetes mellitus

* Physical inactivity

* Cigarette smoking

* Alcohol intake

Unchangeable risk factors include:

* Age, the older you get the greater your risk

* Sex, men are at higher risk than women

* Race

* Family history

* Personal medical history

To make things even more complicated, some recent studies have actually shown that plaque build up is caused by simple sugars and starches instead of meats and foods containing cholesterol.

Now heart disease can lead to very severe problems in some people. It causes heart attacks, strokes, and even death. And some people are more prone to getting heart disease than others, because the conditions are hereditary.

Most of the steps you’d take to prevent or reduce the risks of other diseases apply to heart disease as well though. Exercising for instance, helps improve your circulatory system, strengthen your heart, and keeps the blood flowing well enough to prevent plaque build up.

References:

Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease
Video: Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease