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Heart Disease: Does Weight Loss Lower Your Risk?
| Posted on Jul 24, 2011 |
What is Heart Disease?
The most common type of heart disease is a blockage in the blood vessels that supply the heart and causes heart attacks (myocardial infarction) and angina (chest pain or pressure caused by lack of blood flow to the heart muscle). Heart attacks and strokes combined are called cardiovascular diseases and represent the number one cause of death in the world. In fact, heart attacks and strokes cause more deaths than the next 4 causes combined, with about 700,000 deaths per year in the United States, or about one every 45 seconds. In about 20% of people, the first sign that they have heart disease is sudden death. Waiting until you know you have a problem is not the right strategy.Although commonly thought to be a disease that primarily affects males, cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death for women as well.
What Causes Heart Disease?
There are around 200 risk factors for heart disease, but the most important ones are high blood pressure, smoking, diabetes, high cholesterol, family history of early heart attacks, and obesity. Obesity leads to a higher risk for heart attacks primarily through increasing blood pressure, cholesterol, and the risk of diabetes.Does Weight Loss and Other Healthy Choices Prevent Heart Disease?
The answer is absolutely YES! It is predicted that most cases of heart disease would be prevented by healthy life style choices such as a healthy diet, quitting smoking, regular exercise, and weight loss. This is even more true for sedentary women who may be particularly susceptible to developing high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease.Even a relatively modest weight loss of 5-10 pounds has been shown to decrease high blood pressure and the risk for heart disease. In addition, a healthy diet and regular exercise are the best way to prevent diabetes (a strong risk factor for heart disease).
If you are concerned about your risk for heart disease, making healthier choices can lower your risk substantially. It is a good idea to talk to your doctor about your risk for heart disease, and if your doctor says that it is safe for you, the Achieve-Life weight loss program can help you get healthier, lose weight, and lower your risk for heart disease.
A simple plan for healthy, permanent weight loss. Visit us to learn how the Achieve-Life weight loss program can help you achieve the life you've always wanted.
All articles on Achieve-Life.com are written by board certified physicians.
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