What causes heart disease may be a burning question in many minds. With more and more people dying each day from heart attacks and cancer, it is only natural that you want to know what is going on, what is causing your or a loved one's poor health, and how to change it.
Heart disease is a fairly loose phrase used interchangeably to describe a broad range of heart problems. Some of the illnesses that fall under the heart disease category are high blood pressure, strokes, heart attacks, heart failure, and coronary artery disease. Heart disease is the number one killer of both men and women all over the world. 40% of all deaths in the U.S. are related to heart disease! So what causes heart disease?
Heart disease is caused by a range of factors including, but not limited to:
1. Poor diets full of saturated fats and not enough fruits and vegetables. Vitamin D is also important according to recent health news reports.
2. Poor exercise habits, or no exercising at all. The heart is a muscle and needs exercise in order to maintain proper and healthy functioning.
3. Smoking is a leading cause of heart disease in both men and women.
4. Being, becoming, and remaining overweight are other major factors, especially if your weight tends to be over the "belly" area.
These above four points are primary contributors and are lifestyle habits that you can change! If you choose not to change the way you live, then these habits can create atherosclerosis, which means your arteries are hardened.
When your arteries harden, this places restrictions on blood flow to organs and tissues, which is what causes heart disease. This deprives your body's organs of vital oxygen and nutrients needed to function properly.
It should be noted that what causes heart disease isn't always hardening of the arteries. Some forms of heart disease are caused by other genetic/and or heredity diseases, such as heart valve diseases, congenital heart defects and disease, heart infections, and cardio myopathy, which is a disease of the heart muscle.
While some heart problems you may not be able to control, most are acquired over a lifetime of unhealthy habits and unhealthy living. Now that you know what causes heart disease, you can be well on your well to doing something about it and turning your life around for the better
There are two basic underlying reasons of what causes heart disease. The first is hereditary, and the second is lifestyle. The following are high risk factors of developing some kind of heart disease.
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol levels
- High blood uric levels
- Metabolic disorders - most notable Diabetes
- Obesity
- Smoking
Of course, there is nothing you can do about the hereditary factor, but there are many ways in which you can change your lifestyle to lessen your personal risk factor of what causes heart disease.
- Eat a healthy diet. Eating correctly is one of the major factors, so ensure that you eat a well balanced diet which includes plenty of fruit and green, leafy vegetables
- Take moderate exercise.
- Quit smoking
- If you are Diabetic, ensure that you control the condition and keep a close eye on your blood sugar levels.
- If you are overweight, seek advice to follow a sensible diet to help you lose the weight
- If you lead a highly stressed lifestyle, this can also be a contributory factor, so it would be wise to look into some stress management issues.
As you can see, a lot of the factors are something which you can take direct action to avoid. This is especially important if there is a family history of the disease. The most crucial element is diet and you should be looking to eliminate fatty, high sugar or processed foods as much as possible. This includes cream, butter, high fat content red meat, white flour and sugar, as well as avoiding excessive consumption of tea, coffee and alcohol.
With a little thought and planning, you really can change your lifestyle so you are not at the mercy of what causes heart disease.
Heart disease is the biggest cause of death in millions of people. Heart attacks and strokes are two reasons for these deaths. The cholesterol levels in your body could cause you to be one of these statistics. Do you know what cures heart disease naturally and without harmful side effects?
Thousands of people are turning to natural ingredients for helping in the treatment of many medical conditions they may be suffering from. In fact, a lot of the prescribed medications are made from some herbs. The only trouble is when these prescriptions drugs are manufactured, many chemical components also go into them.
Natural supplements have been used since ancient times. Some of them can help in preventing heart problems through helping to control the levels of bad cholesterol in your blood. One of these is beta-sitosterol. This is plant derived ingredient that stops the absorption of cholesterol in the intestinal tract. This helps to keep your levels lower.
Fiber in your diet can also help to lower cholesterol in the intestinal tract. One ingredient that is particularly effective is barley and oats, hence all the television commercials talking about the heart healthy benefits of eating oatmeal every day. You can also get the fiber you need from vegetables like broccoli, carrots, and sweet potatoes.
Some B vitamins are great for lowering LDL, the bad cholesterol, while also improving the levels of the good cholesterol, HDL. B6, also known as niacin, is one of the b vitamins that is effective for changing these levels. You can take a supplement for B6 and there are many foods that are good for you that contain it. However, you should only use this supplement under the advice of your doctor. Many natural supplements can cause interactions with other medications you may be taking that can be serious.
Improving blood circulation is important in helping to prevent heart attacks and strokes. Turmeric and ginger are two spices commonly used in most everyone's kitchens. These two herbs have great properties of helping to dilate blood vessels and improve circulation. Turmeric has been shown to actually help lower LDL levels as well.
What cures heart disease naturally in addition to supplements? Watching the intake you have of the bad fats is one way to help lower LDL levels while you are taking natural ingredients for helping to lower it also. Read the labels of all the foods you purchase to make sure of what you are getting. Keeping a close on the foods you eat will increase the effects of natural supplements in many ways.