Matters of the heart

Preventive measures that can help reduce the risk of heart attacks

The risk of having a heart attack has increased with the changing life style. Besides what we do to our body ourselves, our environmental factors also contribute greatly to our health. Regardless of where you live, you're your ethnicity, and income, these risk factors are the same. Here remain a few ways by which you can prevent heart attacks.

Smoking

Cigarettes, cigars, filtered or non-filteredall smokers have triple the risk for a heart attack than a non-smoker. So try to quit smoking if you're a smoker or at least cut down.

Blood Cholesterol

People with high LDL cholesterol are twice as likely to have a heart attack. The first course of treatment is a change in lifestyle: Getting your body to a healthy weight is important, try eating a high fibre diet and avoiding saturated fats.

Your Waistline

Men and women with an 'apple shape', a wider midriff compared to their hips, also known as 'android obesity', have an increased risk for heart disease. Men with waistline over 40 inches and women over waistline over 35 inches have double the risk of heart attack. So much individuals should take extra care about their living habits.

Psychological Stress

Some people may think that stress is not preventable, but developing strategies to cope with anxiety, tension and anger can decrease your risk. Adopting a healthy lifestyle, exercising regularly and eating nutritiously give you ammunition to deal with psychological stressors.

Diet

People who eat fruits and vegetables every day have a 30-per cent lower risk of heart attack. How simple is that? Eat at least five cups of vegetables, and two to three cups of fruits a day.
Exercise

Twenty five percent of all heart attacks could be prevented if everyone exercised regularly. Accumulated activity is fine, such as taking a half hour walk in the morning, may be a 15 minute walk in the afternoon, and one after dinner.

Alcohol

If you don't' drink, don't start. However this recommendation has everything to do with moderation. One to four drinks per week is considered moderate, and is associated with lower rate of heart disease. Alcohol contributes to the other dieses, including cancer. Taking care of yourself is serious business. It's a job that most individuals do without 100 per cent focus. But remember that at at the end of the day it is your body and it is up to you to treat it well and maintain it so it is always healthy.

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