Heart attack; its causes and prevention
In these days, if any disease that has increased at an alarming level is heart attack. Yes, heart attack cases, even among the youth of 23 to 40 years, have of late seen an upward trend. Doctors have considered stress, alcohol and smoking as the main reason for heart attack. So today you will know about Heart attack; its causes and prevention.
Lifestyle and wrong eating habits give rise to diseases like diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure and bad cholesterol, which further increase the risk of heart disease and heart attack. In this article, we are telling about some common risk factors which increase the risk of heart attack.
What is heart attack?
Heart attack is an emergency condition that can kill a person in critical condition. Due to not getting enough blood, someone’s heart stops working due to which heart attack occurs. This is usually due to blockage in the arteries (blood vessels) that supply blood to our heart. A stroke causes a lot of damage to the heart and if there is no immediate supply of blood to the heart in this condition, then a person can die.
It is said that prevention is better than cure. And, in this case too prevention helps avoid heart attack. So you should be aware of the factors that increase the risk of heart attack. In this article, you will come to know about the risk factors which include medical conditions, lifestyle and food habits. You can easily avoid the risk of heart attack by paying attention to these things.
How Your Eating Habit can be a reason of Heart Attack?
Though stress, irregular lifestyle, nuclear family, smoking and alcohol are giving rise to the causes of heart attack, but there are many people who do not have stress in their life. Live in joint family, do not consume smoking and alcohol and go to gym. In spite of this, they are falling prey to heart disease. So, it is very important to check your eating habits too.
Eating habits:
i. Salt
WHO said that salt should not be eaten more than 5 grams. But nowadays people are consuming over salt due to fast food and outside food. Too much salt brings with it the disease of blood pressure as well as heart disease.
ii. Saturated Fat
You can take saturated fat only 5 per cent of the fat you take in a day. If saturated fat is taken more then it will lead to obesity and also regular consumption of foods containing saturated fats will increase the amount of cholesterol in your body. These fats gradually start accumulating on the artery wall and due to blockage, the blood circulation to the heart starts getting obstructed. Due to this, the heart is not able to do its work properly, due to which the risk of heart attack, stroke, and cardiac arrest increases. So, you have to reduce saturated fat and increase unsaturated fat.
iii. Sugar
An adult person should not take more than 30 grams of sugar. Means you can take maximum 6 teaspoons of sugar in 24 hours. Excess sugar will increase the risk of diabetes and it is also dangerous for the heart. Sugar creates a lot of complications which also increases the risk of gas and indigestion. It has been revealed in a study that if 25 per cent of the total calories of most people are coming due to sugar, then it is most dangerous for the heart. These will double the danger.
And, the above three things are present in abundance in junk or oily food, meat, fish, milk, ghee, oil, sweets, chocolate, outside food etc. Along with smoking and alcohol, the addiction of edible tobacco has also increased. Over time and over eating have also increased in the office. That’s why many are now getting heart attacks.
What else to cosider apart from eating habits?
Apart from your eating habits, there are certain other habits too should be checked. Here is what you should keep a check on:
i. Stress
To start with it is stress which should be dealt with. Yes, stress is also a risk of heart attack. So stay away from stress and if you are suffering from this problem then try to reduce it. To reduce stress, participate in activities like yoga, meditation.
ii. Obesity
Increase in obesity in the body increases the risk of cholesterol, high blood pressure and heart attack. To reduce weight and balance it, one should follow a healthy diet and lead an active life.
iii. Diabetes
Diabetes can harm your heart, especially if it is not under control. 65 per cent of people over the age of 65 with diabetes suffer from heart disease. So keep your blood sugar under control and follow a healthy lifestyle.
iv. High blood pressure (hypertension)
High blood pressure is also a common risk factor for heart disease. When your blood pressure increases, your heart has to work harder to function. Heart attack can occur due to pressure on the heart muscles. Regular exercise, less alcohol, balance in weight, intake of low salt and low fat diet and staying away from stress can keep blood pressure low.
v. Cholesterol
It is necessary to control cholesterol to avoid the risk of heart disease and heart attack. If your cholesterol level is healthy then your heart will be healthy. If you are suffering from this disease, then ask your doctor about ways to reduce cholesterol. Increase fibre in the diet. Eat nutritious food and choose low fat foods. Exercising regularly also helps in reducing cholesterol.
vi. Smoking
Many reports have claimed that smoking is responsible for one in five deaths due to heart attack. If you smoke cigarettes, your chances of having a heart attack can increase by two to four times. Smoking reduces the amount of oxygen that reaches your heart, increases blood pressure, damages blood vessels and increases the risk of blood clots. If you currently smoke, then quit it in time and remove yourself from the risk of heart disease and heart attack.
A 360-degree Overview
There was a time when heart attack or heart related diseases were seen in association with age. Generally heart attack or other heart related diseases used to come only when one is old. But now times have changed and heart problems are being seen even in young people. So we should change our lifestyle and food habits to avoid heart attack.
(The content of this article is for informational purpose only. It cannot be a substitute for advice from a medical practitioner. Read DISCLAIMER for more…)
