Seven risk factors for heart attack

Maintaining a healthy heart is one of the best things you can do for yourself. While most people follow a routine and maintain physical health, it is also necessary that you are gentle with your heart so you do not increase the risk factors for heart attack. Experts opine that ensuring cardiac wellness naturally is all about maintaining a balance between a healthy diet and lifestyle and ensuring a bit of physical activity regularly. According to WHO, as many as 17.9 million people died across the world due to cardiovascular diseases in 2019, and out of the 17 million deaths reported from non-communicable diseases, 38 per cent were due to heart-related complications.

From smoking to a sedentary lifestyle, here is a list of seven daily habits that could increase your risk of heart diseases:

1. Smoking

Smoking is a major risk factor for developing a heart condition. Cigarette smoking and involuntary exposure to cigarette smoke are major causes of CHD (coronary heart disease), stroke, aortic aneurysm, (bulge in the aorta) and PAD (peripheral artery disease).

“Smoking has so many chemicals that cause damage to the blood vessels, increase the blood pressure, causing heart attacks,” says Dr Ameet Sattur, interventional cardiologist, HCG Suchirayu hospital, Hubli, India. He also adds that almost 20,000 people die every day in the world due to smoking and tobacco use, even second-hand exposure.

2. Excessive alcohol consumption

You might have heard that the consumption of wine is good for your heart health. But that is only applicable when it is consumed in low quantity. “Only one peg of red wine a day for women and two pegs a day for men is good for the heart,” says Dr Farah Ingale, director, internal medicine, Fortis Hiranandani Hospital, Vashi, Mumbai.

“Too much alcohol is not good for the heart. Alcohol increases bad fats and triglycerides”, says Dr Ingale. She also adds that, when a person consumes alcohol, they also tend to binge. They have fried snacks along with alcohol which will indirectly increase calories and bad fat.

3. Saturated fats, excess salt and sugar in your diet

A heart-friendly diet according to experts is an essential one that doesn’t contain food high in saturated fats, salt and sugar content. “You should reduce oil intake and lower sodium intake (salt), whereas potassium intake should be high,” says Dr Sumanta Chatterjee, interventional cardiologist, AMRI hospitals, Kolkata.

“Always avoid the three S – salt, sugar and saturated fats,” says Dr Sattur. Excess unhealthy fat and sugars lead to the formation of cholesterol in our arteries that lead to blockage and narrowing of the arteries that could affect blood circulation and even trigger heart attacks. He adds that it is important to have a healthy heart-balanced diet, which includes more unprocessed, fresh foods, plenty of fruits and vegetables and whole grains.

“You should include lean meat in your diet, not red meat. Fat must be limited. You should also have lots of fibre in the diet,” says Dr Ingale.

Dr Chatterjee adds that people should consume more than three litres of water daily and include more coloured fruits and vegetables in their diet.

4. Sedentary lifestyle

It is important not to have a sedentary lifestyle to keep your heart healthy in the longer run. A sedentary lifestyle could also cause weight gain, which can again affect your body and heart in many ways.

Dr Sattur recommends that a person should exercise for at least 45 minutes, five days a week. Even brisk walking is fine, he says.

5. Stress

Stress is a major risk factor for heart attack.

“Stress triggers some hormones and causes variations in blood pressure. It can also increase the risk of a sudden heart problem,” says Dr Sattur.

Psychological stress may contribute to heart diseases and precipitate myocardial ischemia (reduced blood flow to the heart).

“Severe stress can cause sudden cardiac arrest. Your BP can shoot up, and if you are a person with diabetes, your sugar can also shoot up, which is not good for your heart,” says Dr Ingale.

6. Lack of sleep

Sleep provides energy for people to get through the day. Without proper sleep, it becomes hard for the body to function normally.

Dr Chatterjee says that sleep is the most important stress buster in our life.

“Not having quality sleep can also lead to cardiac problems. You should have proper, uninterrupted REM sleep,” says Dr Ingale.

“If there is no sleep, we will have hormonal dysregulation and an increase in BP, which increases stress. This is one of the risk factors for heart diseases,” says Dr Chatterjee.

7. Not keeping a regular track of your heart health

Everyone needs to keep a track of their heart health irrespective of whether they have a family history of heart conditions or not. A lot of conditions arise because people are not aware of what is healthy and what is not.

“Be aware of the signs and symptoms of heart problems,” says Dr Sattur.

“You should know your numbers. You should know what your blood pressure is and what your cholesterol and sugar levels are,” says Dr Sattur.

Takeaways

A healthy diet (with a mix of good fats, less sugar and salt) and adequate exercise are considered the best natural fixes to ensuring cardiac wellness and heart health. Excess alcohol consumption and smoking also increase the risk of cardiac complications. However, experts opine that adopting a healthy lifestyle as early as possible in life could either prevent or prolong the onset of cardiovascular complications.