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Risk factors could either be non modifiable or modifiable based on whether the risk factor can or cannot be treated and / or controlled.
The non-modifiable risk factors include.
Age : Advancing age can be a risk factor in develop cardiovascular diseases.
Heredity : heart diseases can run in the family. If you have a male first degree relative (father, brother) who has suffered a heart attack before the age of 65, you have a greater risk of developing heart disease.
Ethnicity : The race you belong to can also determine you susceptibility to develop heart diseases.
There are several modifiable risk factors, which if modified can help prevent or prolong the risk of developing a heart disease.
High cholesterol causes around a third of all cardiovascular diseases worldwide. Low density lipoproteins (LDL) is known as "bad cholesterol" since a high level of LDL can lead to clogging of the arteries, increasing the risk of heart attack, whereas high density lipoproteins (HDL) is known as good cholesterol as it is known to reduce the risk coronary heart disease.
Understanding the "good" and the "bad" fats and lowering your saturated fat (bad fat) intake, and substituting it with foods rich in PUFA / MUFA (good fat) can help you in lowering the risk of heart disease.
Elevated blood pressure in people less than 50 years old is associated with cardiovascular risk. As you get older, your systolic blood pressure becomes a more important predictor of the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Dietary salt it is a significant factor in raising blood pressure in people with hypertension. If you are already overweight then a high intake of salt increases your risk of cardiovascular disease. Reducing salt intake from 12g per day to 3g per day would reduce strokes by one-third and coronary heart disease by one quarter.
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