Cause of Heart Disease

If either of your parents had heart disease, as did your grandparents, you might consider that you too would be affected by the disease. Hereditary factors do come into play sometimes, but recent research suggests that less than 10% of the risk of developing heart disease can be attributable to hereditary reasons. So, what of the remaining 90%?

The medical profession is not in total agreement as to the number one cause of heart disease, but obesity, high cholesterol and smoking, are the main contributory factors in any studies, and stress is another cause of bad health that is particularly associated with heart disease.

• Obesity is a cause of heart disease, often with high cholesterol and blood pressure, but new studies are indicating a correlation between abdominal fat and heart disease in a way that is not yet fully understood. Whatever way you look at it, as waistlines increase, so too does the risk of heart disease.
  

• High blood pressure is a major cause of heart disease. When arteries are narrowed because of the build up of cholesterol on the walls of the arteries, your heart has to work harder to pump blood through the constricted passage that is getting smaller. It tires and weakens, just trying blood through the blocked passages.
  

• Cigarettes contain chemicals that damage artery walls, facilitating an easier build up of cholesterol deposits. These inhibit normal blood flow, thus weakening the heart.  Smoking also makes platelets - the component of blood that causes clotting -  to become more active, and to increase the risk of a blood clot. 

The human body needs cholesterol and is capable of producing all it needs. When we ingest foods high in cholesterol - food like dairy and meat products - we are giving our body more cholesterol than is good for us. The body saves it instead of excreting it, and the surplus cholesterol gets stored along the walls of the arteries.  Too much of a build-up of cholesterol and the risk of blocked arteries and blood clots intensifies.