PREVENTING
CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE
A
number of risk factors affect our cardiovascular health. There are a few risk factors we cannot change (non-modifiable risk factors), such as our family history of cardiovascular disease or growing older. However, there are many other factors that we can change (modifiable risk factors) to maintain good cardiovascular health. There are many types of cardiovascular diseases. These diseases share common risk factors such as tobacco use and exposure to tobacco smoke, lack of physical activity, and an unhealthy diet.105,106,107 Low income populations bear an excess burden of cardiovascular disease. People who have lower incomes are more at risk for factors such as poor diet or lack of physical activity. For example, low-income communities may experience barriers to accessing healthy foods, such as high cost or lack of neighborhood grocery stores. This puts members of these communities at higher risk to be overweight or obese. Being overweight or obese increases the risk for poor cardiovascular health.108
30 minutes of physical activity, FIVE days PER week, can improve your health and reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease.
Avoiding tobacco is one of the best things you can do for your health. Smoking has been called the “single leading preventable cause of disease and deaths in the United States”109, and its link to cardiovascular disease is profound. •
Smoking increases blood pressure and the tendency for blood to clot (and cause blockages in our blood vessels).
•
Women who use oral contraceptives (birth control pills) and smoke greatly increase their risk of cardiovascular disease compared with women who use oral contraceptives and do not smoke.
•
Smoking decreases “good” cholesterol (HDL), which increases the risk for cholesterol-related heart problems.
We are much less active today than we were 50 years ago in our jobs and daily lives. This is impacting our health, including increasing our risk for cardiovascular disease. •
30 minutes of physical activity,five days per week, can improve your health and reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease.110 It can be as simple as walking or working in the yard or as vigorous as running a marathon.
•
Physical activity has the added benefit of helping you to achieve a healthy weight and reduce your risk of other diseases, such as type 2 diabetes and cancer.
•
Physical activity helps reduce stress, which is another major risk factor of cardiovascular disease.