8 Major Risk Factors for Heart Disease

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Heart disease is a leading cause of premature death in the United States and worldwide. This condition can decrease the quality of your life and cause serious consequences. There are a wide variety of treatments available for heart disease. But the best way to preserve your health and decrease the risk of death from heart problems is to prevent heart disease. By knowing the major risk factors of heart disease, you can decrease your risk of this condition. 

Below are 8 factors that can put you at risk of heart disease. 

1. Gender

According to statistics, your gender plays a role in the risk of developing heart disease. Men are more prone to different heart conditions. Moreover, they tend to get heart disease earlier in life than women. Even after menopause, the rate of women with heart disease is lower than for men. Everyone needs to monitor their heart health, but if you are a man over the age of 30, make sure you get regular cardiac testing. 

2. Age

Age also plays a role in the risk of dying from heart disease. Over 85 percent of people dying from heart problems are older than 65. If you have had a cardiac event, you need to be extremely careful. The risk of death from heart disease increases significantly if you have had heart issues in the past. 

3. Race

Several race groups are more prone to the development of heart disease. Including:

- African Americans

- Mexican Americans

- American Indians

- Native Hawaiian

- some Asian Americans

If you belong to one of these groups, you need to be extremely careful about your heart health. If you have symptoms of heart disease, let your healthcare provider know about them as soon as possible. 

4. Family history

Heredity is another risk factor for heart disease. If one of your family members (especially close ones) has heart disease, your chances increase significantly. This doesn’t necessarily indicate that you will develop heart disease. But this means that it’s worth monitoring your heart health more carefully and avoiding other risk factors. 

5. Sedentary lifestyle

A sedentary lifestyle can lead to many negative effects throughout your body. Lack of physical activity is a major risk factor for coronary artery disease and other heart problems. Moreover, it can worsen different chronic health conditions like diabetes, another risk factor for heart disease. Try to move more and stand up from your work desk at least every hour. 

6. Obesity

Excessive weight goes hand-in-hand with heart and circulatory problems. When you have excessive weight, your heart has to work harder to ensure all your body organs get sufficient oxygen and nutrient supply. Besides, fat deposits may form in your arteries, restricting the blood flow. Over time, fat deposits in the coronary artery can block blood flow to the heart and cause a heart attack. Losing excessive weight can help you decrease the risk of heart diseases. 

7. Unhealthy lifestyle

An unhealthy lifestyle includes a poor diet, lack of physical activity, tobacco use, and alcohol abuse. All these bad habits take a toll on your heart health. If you want to preserve heart health, it is important to eat healthy foods and ditch habits like smoking or alcoholism. This can help you decrease the risk of death from heart disease and ensure better overall health. 

8. Underlying health conditions

A wide variety of health conditions can increase your risk of heart disease. Some of them include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and sleep apnea. If you have one of these conditions, you need to be extremely careful about your heart health. Managing and treating underlying conditions may also help you decrease the risk of heart disease.