How to Prevent Heart Attacks by Managing Cholesterol
/Have you or someone you know suffered from a heart attack? Are your levels of cholesterol high? If you answered yes to any of these questions, this video is for you.
Heart Attacks in the U.S.
Every 40 seconds someone in the United States has a heart attack and every year, about 805,000 Americans have a heart attack. A heart attack occurs when blood flow to the heart is blocked due to a blood clot. Without oxygen, the section of the heart muscle that needs the oxygen begins to die.
More than 1 million people in the US suffer from a heart attack, and about half of them will die. Half of those deaths happen within 1 hour of the start of symptoms and before reaching the hospital. Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the center or left side of the chest. The discomfort may feel like pressure, squeezing, or pain.
Symptoms of a Heart Attack
Other symptoms may include:
Feeling weak, light-headed, or faint. You may also break out into a cold sweat.
Pain or discomfort in the jaw, neck, or back.
Pain or discomfort in one or both arms or shoulders. This discomfort may be a sign that you are about to get a heart attack.
Shortness of breath. This often comes along with chest discomfort, but the shortness of breath also can happen before.
What are the risk factors for heart attack?
About half of all Americans have at least one of the three key risk factors for heart attacks: high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, and smoking. Some risk factors cannot be controlled, such as your age or family history. But you can take steps to lower your risk by changing the factors you can control.
High blood pressure and high blood cholesterol
High blood pressure and high blood cholesterol go hand in hand. High blood pressure happens when the force of your blood pushing against the walls of your blood vessels, is consistently too high. Mildly increased cholesterol levels could influence blood pressure as it can mess up how blood vessels contract and release, which may also affect the pressure needed to push blood through them. Cholesterol greatly influences the blood pressure of your body.
What is cholesterol?
Cholesterol is a waxy substance found in your blood. Your body needs cholesterol to build healthy cells, but high levels of it can increase your risk of heart disease. As that waxy substance continues to grow it can accumulate in your blood vessels making it difficult for blood to pass. With high cholesterol, you can develop fatty deposits in your blood vessels. Eventually, these deposits grow so big that they suddenly break and form a clot that causes heart attacks and strokes. Other complications may include:
Chest pain: If the arteries that supply your heart with blood (coronary arteries) are affected, you might have chest pain (angina) and other symptoms of coronary artery disease.
Heart attack: If plaques tear or rupture, a blood clot can form at the plaque-rupture site — this can block the flow of blood through your arteries. If blood flow to part of your heart stops, you'll have a heart attack.
Stroke: Similar to a heart attack, a stroke occurs when a blood clot blocks blood flow to part of your brain.
What are the risk factors of cholesterol?
Poor diet: Eating saturated fat, found in animal products, and trans fats, found in some cookies, crackers, and microwave popcorn, can raise your cholesterol level. Foods that are high in cholesterol, such as red meat and full-fat dairy products, will also increase your cholesterol.
Obesity: Having a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or greater puts you at risk of high cholesterol.
Smoking: Cigarette smoking damages the walls of your blood vessels, making them more prone to accumulate fatty deposits. Smoking might also lower your level of "good," cholesterol. This “good” cholesterol is what removes cholesterol from your arteries.
Age: Because your body's chemistry changes as you age, your risk of high cholesterol climbs. For instance, as you age, your liver becomes less able to remove “bad” cholesterol.
Diabetes: High blood sugar contributes to higher levels of dangerous cholesterol called very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) and lower levels of “good” cholesterol. High blood sugar may also damage the lining of your arteries.
Now that you know the risk factors you may be wondering…
How can I prevent heart attacks by managing cholesterol?
High cholesterol can be inherited, but it's often the result of unhealthy lifestyle choices, which make it preventable and treatable. The same heart-healthy lifestyle changes that can lower your cholesterol can help prevent you from having high cholesterol in the first place. Tips to help prevent high cholesterol:
Good Diet: Eat a low-salt diet that emphasizes fruits, vegetables, and whole grains
Animal Fat: Limit the number of animal fats and use good fats in moderation
Exercise on most days of the week for at least 30 minutes
Good weight: Managing a good diet and exercising can help you lose extra pounds and maintain a healthy weight
Quit smoking: Smoking affects every part of your body and it plays a huge role in increased cholesterol.
Reduce alcohol consumption: Drink alcohol in moderation, if at all
Manage stress: High cortisol levels increase glucose in your body which affects cholesterol levels.
If you or someone you know is struggling with cholesterol, I hope these tips help you reduce and prevent it. Healthy cholesterol levels keep the heart healthy, which lowers the risk of developing heart disease and heart attacks. Even if you don't have cholesterol, these preventable strategies can help you and your family stay healthy.
For a quick overview of what was covered, here is a pamphlet that may be useful. Need a quick and easy way to explain to others what is a heart attack and what to do if someone around you is suffering from it? This pamphlet can help.
Sources:
Heart Disease Facts - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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