7 factors that put your heart at risk

Heart diseases are one of the main causes of death across the world. In India, about 4.77 million mortalities occurred due to heart diseases in 2020, which has increased two-fold in the last three decades.

Heart disease or cardiovascular disease is made of multiple types of heart conditions. It affects your heart and the blood vessels. Heart diseases might not be identifiable at the onset as the affected person may or may not experience physical symptoms. They can, however, cause severe impact in the later stages resulting in heart failure or heart attack. The awareness regarding causes and risk factors of heart disease can help you to prevent the disease.

Risk factors associated with heart diseases

While age and hereditary factors can affect your heart health inevitably, there are many preventable causes and risk factors correlated to heart disease. Your heart can be at risk due to -

• Excessive smoking — Smoking is one of the major causes of heart-related conditions. It results in constriction of the blood vessels and is also responsible for lung diseases and ulcers.

• Blood pressure — High blood pressure puts you at a high risk of heart failure. It results in more exertion for the heart muscle to pump blood through the arteries, damaging the walls of arteries. This puts you at greater risk for cardiovascular disease.
• Obesity — Obesity is linked with several heart diseases. It increases the possibility of high blood pressure and heart disease. It has also been seen to be associated with atrial fibrillation.

• Diabetes — Diabetes is caused by an increase in blood sugar levels. In this condition, either your body produces insufficient insulin or is unable to use the insulin produced in the body. This increases blood glucose levels and accumulates blood glucose. High blood glucose can further damage the blood vessels.
• Physical inactivity — Physical inactivity can increase the chances of cardiovascular diseases. Regular exercise reduces the risk of high blood pressure, assists weight loss, reduces cholesterol, and maintains stress levels.

• Unhealthy diet — Nutritionally poor diet is another contributing factor to heart diseases. A good and balanced diet helps maintain cholesterol levels, and blood pressure and keeps body weight, and blood glucose levels in check.
• Mental health — Stress for a long duration can increase the levels of cortisol in the blood and elevate the chances of high blood pressure, plaque deposition in blood vessels, and sugar levels. It is another common risk factor for cardiovascular diseases.

Keeping your blood glucose, blood pressure, and cholesterol at optimum levels can drastically reduce the risk of heart diseases. Heart diseases can be effectively avoided by practicing healthy habits like physical activity, mental well-being, eating consciously, and routine medical screenings.