Why do heart attacks occur?
Can heart attacks be prevented?
What percentage of heart attacks are lethal?
Heart attacks occur in fewer instances when a person leads a healthy lifestyle by maintaining a healthy diet, staying physically active, and choosing not to smoke.
General
http://www.cdc.gov/DHDSP/library/fs_heart_failure.htm
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Fact Sheets and At-A-Glance Reports." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (January 25, 2010). Web. Sept. 28, 2010.
- In 2010, heart failure will cost the United States $39.2 billion
- In 2009, an estimated 785,000 Americans had a new coronary attack
- 1.1 million Americans suffer from a heart attack annually (2003 data)
- 460,000 heart attacks are fatal
- Every 20 seconds, a person in the United States has a heart attack
- Smoking lowers the threshold for angina (chest pain resulting from a lack of oxygen in the blood)
http://quitsmoking.about.com/od/tobaccostatistics/a/heartdiseases.htm
- Toxins in the blood from smoking cigarettes contribute to the development of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries)
- Fatty plaque is built up along the inner walls of the arteries, eventually forming blood clots
- Cigarette smoking is so widespread and significant as a risk factor that the Surgeon General has called it "the leading preventable cause of disease and deaths in the United States."
- Smoking decreases HDL (good) cholesterol
- Almost 40 % of those who died from smoking die from heart and blood vessel disease
- Nicotine in tobacco smoke can increase blood pressure causing the heart to work harder.
- Carbon monoxide replaces oxygen in your blood
- Smokers who have a heart attack are more likely to die within an hour of the heart attack
- Smoking increases heart muscle oxygen demand by 10%
- Smoking lowers the threshold for angina (chest pain resulting from a lack of oxygen in the blood)
- People who are sedentary, or do not exercise, are almost twice as likely to have a heart attack
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/Cad/CAD_WhatIs.html
- Artery plaque is the build-up of a combination of fat, choesterol, and calcium
- Foods containing many hydrogenated oils and saturated fats can lead to plaque build-up along the artery walls
- Fruits and vegetables help to treat and eliminate plaque build-up
- Cut back on foods high in dietary cholesterol. Aim to eat less than 300 mg of cholesterol each day.
- Aim to eat less than 2,300 mg of sodium per day
- When too much (low density lipoprotein) LDL-cholesterol is in the blood, it can lead to cholesterol buildup in the arteries.
- A high level of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (the "good" cholesterol) helps the body clean up excess cholesterol and lowers your risk of heart attack.
- A diet high in salt can raise your blood pressure
- If you're under stress, you may overeat
- The risk for developing heart and other diseases increases with a waist measurement of more than 40 inches in men and more than 35 inches in women.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/heart-attack/DS00094/DSECTION=risk-factors
- An inactive lifestyle contributes to high blood cholesterol levels and obesity.
- Obesity raises the risk of heart disease because it's associated with high blood cholesterol levels, high blood pressure and diabetes.
- Exercise helps prevent a heart attack by helping you to achieve and maintain a healthy weight and control diabetes, elevated cholesterol and high blood pressure.
- Walking 30 minutes a day, five days a week can improve your health
- Less active people have a 30-50 percent greater risk of developing high blood pressure
- Only about 22 percent of Americans report regular sustained physical activity (activity of any intensity lasting 30 minutes or more 5 times a week).
this would be AWESOME for the cause and effect essay!
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