People are dropping dead of coronary heart disease. Every year, cardiovascular problems cause nearly half of U.S. male deaths -a third of them by complete surprise. Up to 25 percent of people who die of sudden cardiac death had no prior symptoms or warnings such as chest pain.
Coronary heart disease remains the nation's single leading cause of death. With 90 per cent of cardiovascular disease deaths, being due to either stroke or heart disease, Canada's Heart and Stroke Foundation calls it the number one killer in Canada. In 1998, cardiovascular disease claimed 79,000 lives, versus an estimated 65,000 from cancer in 2000. According to the American Heart Association, it is estimated that 1.2 million Americans will have a first or recurrent coronary attack, killing 452,000 of them.
Heart attacks strike when one or more of the heart's arteries are blocked, severely reducing or stopping blood from reaching part of the heart muscle. They are usually preceded by the buildup inside the artery walls of fatty deposits or plaque, which can rupture, causing a blood clot to form and block the artery. When the blood supply is cut off for more than a few minutes it can be fatal.
Your heart is the most important organ in your body. With heart disease a common killer among men and women, protecting against heart disease can easily extend your life. Follow these secret weapons will decrease your risk for heart disease and stroke.
Do not smoke
Every puff of a tobacco product contains lots of chemicals, many of which contribute to the narrowing of the arteries, and thus increasing your heart rate and blood pressure. This is due to less oxygen-rich blood circulates through your body, according to the American Heart Association. Furthermore, nicotine found in a cigarette makes the heart work harder by constricting the blood vessels which, in turn, leads to an increase in heart rate and blood pressure. Tobacco smoke also causes clumping in the blood vessels feeding the heart. Smokers' risk of heart attack is more than twice that of non-smokers'. A new study from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston shows that inhaling marijuana quintuples your risk of a heart attack for 1 hour after lighting up.
Quitting smoking will yield you the greatest rewards in terms of heart health. If you have tried before but failed, try to get help from your doctor.
Keep up your exercise
Regular exercisers who stay active after having a heart attack cut their risk of having a second attack by 60 percent, according to a study of more than 400 people. Those who exercised more after their first heart attack lowered their risk of a second by almost 80 percent (Circulation, Oct 31, 2000). Doctors from the Framingham Heart Study in Massachusetts also found a similar result. They compared people who had only recently started exercising with those who used to exercise regularly but stopped. Their finding: The cardiovascular mortality rate was 40 percent lower among the current exercisers.
"Obviously, you shouldn't go out and run a marathon," says study author Lyn Steffen-Batey, PhD, MPH, assistant professor of epidemiology at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, "but being physically active aids recovery and can help you live longer. Even people who have been previously sedentary can benefit." Endurance exercises such as running and cycling may protect older people from cardiac injury during a heart attack, according to a new University of Florida study.
Fat is a source of fuel which is burned during exercise. Regular exercise will not only help your weight-loss efforts, but lower triglyceride levels. Even those who are not overweight can see the tremendous benefits exercise can have on lowering blood triglycerides. Exercises such as cycling, swimming, running and walking may cause heart muscle cells to produce more antioxidants that protect the heart during the insult of a heart attack.
You can enroll in cardiac rehabilitation programs which will guide you how to exercise safely because it is covered by insurance. Do it for your life, and with the help of your doctor to develop a home program you can continue after rehabilitation. You can also get started by joining a walking program. Dr. Gerry Maddoux, a cardiologist and author of Your Heart: Treat It Like You Love It, suggests working out for at least 30 minutes a day with friends, using a pedometer to track your steps and picking enjoyable activities, such as beach walking or running or team sports."
So, exercise at least 30 minutes every day instead of watching television, surfing the web, and playing computer games. Remember, your heart needs at least 20 minutes of exercise, three times a week. You do not have to put on your spandex outfit and head to the gym. The type of exercise does not matter so much. You can power walk, jog, garden or whatever. You should be short of breath and sweating at the end of your routine.
