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Heart Disease Risk Factors
Risk factors are habits or traits that make a person more likely to develop a disease. Many of those for heart disease can be
controlled. These include:
- Cigarette smoking
- High blood pressure
- High blood cholesterol
- Overweight
- Physical inactivity
- Diabetes
The more risk factors you have, the greater your risk. So take action take control! Coronary heart disease is a woman's concern. Every woman's concern. One in ten American women 45 to 64 years of age has some
form of heart disease, and this increases to one in four women over 65. Another 1.6 million women have had a stroke. Both heart disease and stroke are
known as cardiovascular diseases, which are serious disorders of
the heart and blood vessel system.
Regular physical activity can help you reduce your risk of coronary heart disease. Being active helps women take off extra pounds, helps to control blood pressure, lessens a
diabetic s need for insulin, and boosts the level of good HDL-cholesterol. Some studies also show that being inactive increases the risk of heart attack.
What Kind Of Activity Promotes
Heart Health?
Even low to
moderate-intensity activity can help lower the risk of heart disease. Examples of such activity are pleasure walking, stair climbing, gardening, yardwork, moderate-to-heavy housework, dancing, and home exercise. To get
heart benefits from these activities, do one or more of them every day. More vigorous exercise improves the fitness of the heart, which can lower heart disease risk still more. This kind of activity is called
"aerobic" and includes jogging, swimming, and jumping rope. Walking, bicycling, and dancing can also strengthen your heart, if you do them briskly for at least 30 minutes, three or four times a week. Most
people do not need to see a doctor before they start a gradual, sensible program of physical activity.
But do consult your doctor before you start or increase physical activity if you:
- have heart trouble or have had a heart attack
- are taking medicine for high blood pressure or a heart condition
- are over 50 years old and are not used to energetic activity
- have a family history of developing heart disease at a young age
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