The positive impact lifestyle modification has on heart disease. Even though one can be born with a heart defect, and while family history exist, age and harsh living conditions are contributing factors. These factors cannot be controlled by lifestyle modification and will not avert or solve a condition if it runs through the DNA of a person. However, there are numerous lifestyle influences that may cause this epidemic.
Not limited to these factors only, habits such as drinking, hypertension, cholesterol level, diabetes, smoking, stress, weight, lack of exercise, poor nutrition and drug abuse can be changed to improve or maintain heart health. Hearing the news that my father has been diagnosed with an enlarged heart known as cardiomegaly; and working in the medical field for 10yrs in a cardiology office, has opened my eyes to the reality of how our day to day choices affect the health of the heart.
I now understand that the health habits we cultivate, go a long way to affect us in our adult years. In many cases, heart disease can be managed and controlled through vigorous lifestyle changes. Medical science has also made it possible to correct some of these conditions through high technology.
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Dieting in modern day, has become a very important part of life in the world today. There are people who see eating as a stress reliever, social even and, some who eat to lose weight others to gain weight, but the former more so than the latter. There are countless views on what exactly causes extreme weight gain. Some consider “energy balance” or calorie intake as the main contributive factor of weight gain.
That being said, reducing the amount of carbohydrate and balancing it with fruits, vegetables and water will help in loosing and or maintaining one’s weight. According to the CDC in 2011-2012, 34.9 percent (78.6 million) adults in the U.S were obese. Antibiotics and steroids also cause weight gain when on it for a long period of time. Fasting, vegetarian and vegan diet have also been identified as types of dieting and weight loss regimen to help prevent heart disease.
Exercise has been identified as one of the main health benefits which helps keep glucose, and cholesterol levels within the normal levels.Physical activity decreases with age, so there is a need to contiously involve in a planned and structured body movement daily in order to maintain and improve heart health.Moderate-intensity physical activity a week and strength activities on at least two days a week can reduce the risk of heart disease.
The National Institute of Health (NIH) recognizes inactivity as a major public health problem in the U.S. More than 60% of American adults do not get sufficient physical activity and about 25% are inactive during their leisure time.
Another risk factor of concern is smoking and drinking. Smoking cigarettes triples the risk of heart attack as researched by Dr James Rudd, senior lecturer in cardiovascular medicine at the University of Cambridge Young people are affected greatly by this habit. Smoking is the most important changeable risk factor for heart attack; meaning the risk can be lowered by quitting.
In fact, 10-15 years after stopping, a person’s risk is back to that of a non-smoker. The evidence for this relation is very strong and is not disputed, even by tobacco companies. Smoking is so dangerous because it makes the blood more ‘sticky’ and more likely to clog up the heart arteries. Cigarettes also destroy the delicate lining of the arteries and cause inflammation.
All these factors greatly increase the risk of heart attack, which is caused by a blood clot forming inside the heart arteries. According to research, there is no strong evidence that alcohol damages the heart. It possibly has a neutral effect on heart attack risk, since some physicians recommend moderate consumption of red wine. Vigorous Lifestyle modification life dieting, exercise and avoiding smoking and drinking can maintain, improve heart health and in some cases, reversal is possible.
