Anupama Nair
Our body is like a machine and we might not give it much thought throughout the day. However, our heart is working round the clock for us. The heart is the most important muscle in the body as it pumps blood and oxygen to all of your organs. When people talk about heart disease, they’re usually talking about Coronary Heart Disease (CHD), which is the most common type of heart disease in the world. When someone has CHD, the coronary arteries that take blood to the heart are narrow or blocked and this happens when cholesterol and fatty material, called plaque, build up inside the arteries.
There are many tips to prevent heart disease.
- Eat healthy.
- Be active.
- Maintain a healthy weight.
- Quit smoking and stay away from second-hand smoke.
- Control your cholesterol and blood pressure.
- Avoid alcohol all together.
- Manage stress in your life.
Anyone can get heart disease, but you’re at higher risk if you:
- Have high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or diabetes
- Are active or passive smoker
- Are overweight or suffer from obesity
- Lack of physical activity or exercise
- Eat unhealthy and fatty food.
The age of a person and family history also affect the risk for a heart disease. Your risk is higher if:
- You are a woman over the age of 55
- You are a man over the age of 45
- Your father or brother had heart disease before the age of 55
- Your mother or sister had heart disease before the age of 65
As you can see the health of our heart is in our hands and our heart will live long if we lead a healthy lifestyle.
