Protecting your heart is easier than you might think! High blood pressure, high cholesterol level, an inactive lifestyle, smoking, diabetes are some of the risk factors that might contribute heart disease, a condition that might be fatal. High LDL or bad cholesterol can lead to build-up in arteries. It restricts blood flow and oxygen to the heart.

 

Smoking leads to increased blood pressure and contributes to the formation of blood clots. Studies have shown that exposure to air pollution can disrupt blood vessels activity and affect the arteries. However, exposure to air pollution is a smaller risk factor than obesity or smoking.

 

Experts say you can start with simple steps, such as changing your diet, or wearing warm clothes to protect against the chilly weather.

Treatments with cholesterol-lowering drugs may cut the risk of heart attacks by up to 50 percent. The drugs work by blocking the enzyme HMG-CoA-reductase, which is needed by the body to make cholesterol.

 

It appears that a number of heart attacks occur in apparently healthy people, but with high levels of a protein called CRP, a phase protein produced by the liver and by adipocytes that points to an inflammation in the body and can be a factor in the development of coronary heart disease.

Statistics show that up to 25% of people who die of sudden cardiac death had no prior symptoms such as chest pain.

Coronary heart disease is the nation’s leading cause of death and it is estimated that 1.2 million Americans will have a first episode of coronary attack this year.