Common Causes of Heart Disease

These leading causes are called risk factors. High blood pressure, or hypertension, not only increases your risk for heart disease, but also heart attack and stroke. A blood pressure reading for a resting adult is usually between 120 to 130 for a systolic reading and 80 to 90 for a diastolic reading.

High blood cholesterol is another significant risk factor in heart disease. When we eat foods high in saturated fat, we overload the body with cholesterol that the liver already makes for the body to form cell membranes and hormones.

Low-density Lipoprotein (or LDL) in high amounts causes plaque to collect on the artery walls, and this can cause atherosclerosis. This is a hardening of the arteries and can lead to heart attack.
If you're overweight, then you theoretically have increased total cholesterol levels and high blood pressure. These are risk factors for heart disease by themselves.

Smoking makes your heart beat faster, tightens arteries, and can cause irregular heartbeats. All of these side effects of smoking make your heart work harder. It also raises your blood pressure, and that will increase your chances of stroke if you already have high blood pressure.

If you lead a mostly sedentary lifestyle, then your heart isn't getting enough exercise. When you exercise, you strengthen your heart in addition to burning calories, controlling cholesterol levels, getting your diabetes in check, and helping to lower your blood pressure.

Unfortunately, men are far more likely to have a heart attack than pre-menopausal women. But, for women who are post-menopause, this gap narrows. This is the same for heart disease. If someone in your family has had heart disease, then chances are you will develop heart disease.

The best way to combat this eventuality is to take action as soon as possible. Your chances will decrease dramatically if you take a few simple steps to keep heart disease at bay. But, there's no guarantee that you'll be able to keep it at bay fully, especially if someone in your family has this condition. And, this condition is fatal if left untreated.

Stress, a contributing risk factor, does many things to your body - from raising your blood pressure (which puts an extra workload on your heart) to forcing your body to release high levels of adrenaline, which can injure the lining of your arteries. When the arteries heal, they may harden, making it easier for plaque to build up.

Studies have shown that alcoholics subject their body to increased blood pressure, stroke, dysrhytmia (irregular heartbeats), and disease of the heart muscle. Conversely, if you drink only around eleven ounces per day, then you can actually help your heart!