What are the Causes of Heart Disease?
The primary risks and causes of heart disease are:
- Smoking
- High Blood Pressure and Hypertension
- Diet and Obesity
- Stress
- Family History
Of these causes of heart disease smoking is unquestionably the biggest.
Smoking
If you are a smoker it is often difficult to convince yourself that smoking is not one of the causes of heart disease or is even bad for your health and increasing your risks of lung cancer and other cancers, high blood pressure and a host of other health issues.
High Blood Pressure / Hypertension
Hypertension, the second of the causes of heart disease, is when your blood pressure is greater than 140/90. Hypertension and high blood pressure mean that your heart, and the arteries supplying blood to the heart, is working much harder than it should have to.
Obesity and Your Diet
Both obesity and your diet are causes of heart disease as well as the cause of additional health issues:
- Diabetes
- Stroke and coronary artery disease
- Hypertension
- High cholesterol
- Kidney and gallbladder disorders
They may also increase the potential for cancers, the development of osteoarthritis and sleep apnea.
Weighing more than you should, is putting additional strain on your heart. A Healthy eating plan, one that is low in fat, low in sugars and high in fiber is a good start.
Stress
Stress, one of the causes of heart disease, comes from a variety of sources, anything that makes you fell angery, nervous, frustrated, or even anxious. However what is stressful to you may not be stressful to someone else, and vice-versa.
During stress your nervous system releases extra hormons that raise the blood pressure. Which in turn brings an increase in the need for oxygen and blood flow to the heart and has the potential of bringing on heart pains in those who already have heart problems.
Family History
Being born to a family with a history of heart disease does increase your chances of developing heart disease, however it does not mean that you a destined to develope heart disease.
Additional information on the causes of heart disease is available throughout the pages and links on this site.
