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Heart disease is the number one cause of death in both men and women, making looking after your heart a number one priority. The good news is there are a number of ways to keep your heart healthy, and focusing on your diet and lifestyle is the best action to take to reduce heart disease.
There are a number of risk factors for causing heart disease. Some can be prevented, but others cannot. Things like family history or heart disease at an early age cannot be helped, but most factors can be controlled with a change in lifestyle.
Smoking
Smoking reduces blood flow in the arteries and can lead to a heart attack. Quitting smoking will drop your blood pressure, the levels of oxygen and carbon monoxide in your blood will balance out and your heart disease risk will drop after only one year of quitting.
High blood pressure
Hypertension, another term for high blood pressure, increases the risk for strokes and congestive heart failure. Getting your blood pressure under control is important. This can be done by following a healthy eating plan, as well as reducing your salt intake, getting regular exercise and watching your weight.
Cholesterol
Excess fat and cholesterol in your system can cause blockages in the blood vessels in your heart, so a lipoprotein profile test can be done to test the level of cholesterol in your body. Lowering cholesterol can be done by eating healthily, getting regular exercise and, if necessary, taking medication.
Obesity
Another high-risk factor is obesity. Size is not the only issue, however, as excess weight increases the risk of developing not only heart disease but strokes, gallbladder diseases, arthritis and even certain cancers.
Deciding to take action now is vital, so begin by learning about your own risk profile and then start the necessary steps. Don’t smoke, make sure that you are eating healthily, maintain a healthy weight and get regular exercise. It’s never too late to keep your heart strong.
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