Heart Disease
It has been reported that heart disease or cardiac disease is currently the number one or the leading killer in developed countries and a rapidly growing health problem in Third World or developing nations (2006). Heart diseases take different forms, but its most common cause is the narrowing or the blockage of the coronary arteries, which are the blood vessels that supply blood to the heart. This condition is termed as the coronary artery disease, and is major reason why people have heart attacks. Some individuals may have heart problems due to malfunction of the valves of the heart, or the heart itself may not pump well and cause heart failure (2007). While the majority of heart disease patients are middle-aged or elderly, many teenagers, children, and even newborn infants are affected as well ( 2006). This is because the changes in the lifestyles of today’s generation serve to increase our risks in obtaining the disease. In this sense, an unhealthy diet, lack of exercise, diabetes, high blood pressure or hypertension, and smoking all increase one’s risk for suffering from heart disease ( 2007). Nevertheless, doctors say that the risk of having a heart attack, even in people who already have coronary heart disease or have had previous heart attack can still be reduced by preventing or controlling certain risk factors. One of the greatest risks is smoking, as cigarettes greatly increase the risk of fatal and non-fatal heart attacks in both men and women. Another factor that increases the risk for heart diseases is high blood pressure, as the heart works harder than it should. Doctors are increasingly stressing the importance of low fat, low cholesterol, and low sodium diet. In fact, it has been emphasized that a healthy diet high in fruits and vegetables is one of the first defenses against cardiovascular diseases. Equally important to maintaining normal blood pressure is losing excess weight and limiting alcohol intake. This is because burning excess fat can keep the heart, lungs and bones in good shape. More importantly, exercise improves the circulation and develops the metabolism. Lastly, diabetes increases the risk of heart diseases, as the inability of the body to produce or respond to insulin, limits blood glucose to enter the cells of the body and generate the body’s energy (2002). In this regard, the best way to fight heart diseases is to increase preventive measures that would enable one to function better as a healthy individual.
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