Preventing heart disease is essential if you want to live a long, healthy life, but what causes cardiovascular disease? Learn about the causes and risks.
Cardiovascular disease refers to numerous conditions such as heart disease, heart attack, stroke, heart failure, arrhythmia, and heart valve problems. Heart disease, also known as coronary heart disease (CHD), is the leading cause of adult deaths in the U.S. To be able to reduce the risk of developing this condition, you need to know what causes it.
Causes and Risk Factors
When blood vessels fill up with plaque, your circulation is blocked, impeding nutrients and oxygen from reaching the heart. Plaque is a waxy accumulation of cholesterol, fatty molecules, and minerals that can negatively impact your health. It builds up over time in the inner linings of damaged arteries as a result of hypertension or high cholesterol.
A variety of risk factors affect your chances of developing heart disease – some that you can control, some you can’t. For example, age and heredity are risks you can’t control, and your risk increases naturally as you get older. However, there are some factors that you can manage including smoking, obesity, high cholesterol, hypertension, physical inactivity, diet, and more.
While factors like genetics can increase your risk, unhealthy lifestyle habits can play a bigger role than you think. For instance, leading a sedentary life and having an unhealthy diet can significantly affect your risk. In addition, smoking, drinking excessively, not managing your high-stress situations, or your diabetes can affect your chances as well.
Diabetes and Depression
According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, individuals with type 2 diabetes are twice as likely to have heart disease. If you have type 2 diabetes, you may have high blood glucose levels, which increase your amount of plaque. For this reason, you should manage your blood sugar carefully to reduce your risk of heart disease if you have diabetes.
In addition to diabetes, depression is another condition that can increase your risk of developing cardiovascular disease. One of the ways it can affect you is by affecting your energy levels and decreasing interest in daily activities. Furthermore, depression can lead to other unhealthy behaviors such as smoking, excessive drinking, eating unhealthily, and skipping medications.
The Outlook
While cardiovascular disease is dangerous, you can reduce the risk of developing it by making certain lifestyle changes. For example, by exercising regularly, eating healthily, maintaining a healthy weight, and reducing stress, you can significantly reduce your risk.
In addition, you can take daily supplements like HeartBeet Complete to boost your heart health. Its ingredients can effectively promote circulation, blood pressure health, energy levels, and more. Give your heart health the support it needs by leading a healthy life and taking HeartBeet Complete.
