| Obesity | Heart Disease_Be good to your heart Can you name three major risk factors for heart disease? If you said cigarette smoking, high blood cholesterol and obesity, give yourself an A and a tall drink of water. Studies show that the risk of having a heart attack is increased significantly in people who smoke, have high blood cholesterol or are obese. Knowing the risk factors is just the first step in preventing heart disease. Taking steps to avoid or eliminate those risk factors is the real challenge. Let us, for the moment focus on those factors that can be attributed to dietary habits, namely cholesterol and obesity. Cholesterol is a fat-like substance that builds up in the blood. High levels of cholesterol can combine with other substances, such as calcium and cause a buildup, called plaque in the arteries. As more and more plaque builds up, the arteries get narrower, blocking the flow of blood. The end result is a heart attack. What you should know about cholesterol. Cholesterol tests are done to determine the amount of good and bad cholesterol. Three measures are usually considered, total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein cholesterol and low density lipoprotein. Health experts recommend that your total cholesterol should be not more than 200 mg/dL. Above 240 mg/dL is considered high, and requires action to reduce the level. HDL cholesterol should be above 60 mg/dL, while LDL cholesterol should be less than 100 mg/dL. Studies show that diet, exercise and maintaining a healthy weight can help to prevent heart disease and can decrease the risk of a heart attack in people who have been diagnosed with heart disease. The American Heart Association recommends the following steps be taken to protect your heart and blood vessels: 1. Watch the amount of saturated fat and cholesterol in your diet. Since these substances can lead to high cholesterol and plaque buildup, this may be your first defense. 2. Watch your weight. People who are overweight are more likely to have high blood cholesterol and suffer a heart attack than their normal weight counterpart. Therefore, it is prudent to take steps to shed unwanted weight. Eating a healthy, well-balanced diet in which portion sizes are controlled to control calories is the smart way to lose weight. Exercise will help to burn calories and speed up weight loss. 3. Get some exercise. Getting 20 to 30 minutes of physical activity every day will help shed unwanted pounds, decrease LDL (bad) cholesterol and raise the HDL (good) cholesterol. The following changes in food habits may help to lower your (LDL) cholesterol:
While age, gender and genes may play a role in the development of heart disease, there are some things you can do to lessen the risk. It is in your hands. Make the commitment today to treat your heart good for life. Resources online http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4488 http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/cholesterol.html http://www.eatright.org/Public/NutritionInformation/92_nfs1101.cfm Glossary February is Heart Health Month |