Are You At Risk For Heart Disease?
According to the American Heart Association and the Centers For Disease Control, Cardiovascular Heart Disease (CHD) is the number one cause of death and leading cause of serious disability. Here are some simple lifestyle choices you can make that in doing so can significantly reduce your risks of developing CHD.
-- Good nutrition plays a significant role in reducing your risk of CHD. Follow a healthy diet that incorporates the five food groups as well as fish, nut, and vegetable oils. Reduce you intake of sodium in your diet. Be careful when eating out at restaurants. Too many meals out of home will increase your sodium intake and colories.
-- Maintain blood cholestrerol and triglycerides at a healthy level. Desriable total cholesterol level should be below 180 mg/dl and triglyceride levels should be below 150mg/dl.
-- Maintain a healthy weight. Studies show that people who lead a sedentary lifestyle have twice the increased risk of developing CHD. Follow a routine exercise program with at least moderate exercise for 30 minutes four days per week. Reducing weight with proper diet and exercise can lower your risk of CHD. Please consult with your physician before beginning any exercise program.
-- Stop Smoking! Smoking causes increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, and increased hardening of the arteries- all of which promotes CHD. Studies show that quitting smoking for five years can lower your risk of developing CHD by forty percent.
-- Information in this article obtained from the American Heart Association and the Cardiovascular Institute of the South.
This article reviewed by James V. Talano MD, M.M., FACC. Dr. Talano is the director of the SWICFT Institute in Naples, FL. Specializing in cardiovascular wellness and disease. WWW.SWICFT.COM
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