Causes of Coronary Heart Disease

There are a number of scientifically accepted causes of Coronary Heart Disease...but in my experience..it seems not everyone knows what they are.

There are of course the specific conditions Arteriosclerosis and Atherosclerosis that you may have heard of, but these are a part of the problem that contributes to coronary heart disease development not an actual cause.

Learn How Your Arteries Become Blocked Atherosclerosis Atherosclerosis 2

I was always surprised when a patient who had come into the Cardiac Investigation area would ask….."What causes that?"

They were of course responding to being told that they had Coronary Heart Disease after just undergoing a procedure to investigate their symptoms.

What are the causes of coronary heart disease?

It's a fair enough question of course, but the reason I was always surprised to hear that from patients was because I thought that there was so much awareness out there within the community regarding what causes heart disease that I incorrectly assumed everybody knew what the leading culprits were.

So, do you need to know what the causes of coronary artery disease are?

It is a large enough problem that every adult, young or old should be sufficiently concerned. Knowledge is power... and knowledge that prospers generations gets passed on and becomes time honored wisdom.

Perhaps some wisdom has been lost. Some of the factors covered below seem to indicate that we have strayed from the "path" a little too far. I regard modify-able lifestyle factors as things we can all do that don't require the involvement of high tech and expensive scientific solutions.

If we all knew what we should....and shouldn't be doing with respect to coronary artery disease....and acted on it, our community health
landscape would look radically different. What are the causes of coronary heart disease?

Let's take a look.

Smoking and Heart Disease

Smoking is a greater cause of death and disability than any single disease according to the World Health Organization and cigarette smoking is the most important preventable cause of premature death in the United States.

Cigarette smoking is one of the best known and accepted causes of Coronary Heart Disease in our modern world.
Smoking...

• increases the risk of developing buildup of fatty substances in the arteries - Atherosclerosis
•  increases blood pressure
•  decreases exercise tolerance
•  increases the tendency for blood to clot
•  Increases your body's free radical burden

Click here for more info on Smoking and Heart Disease

Heart Disease and Diet

A consistently poor diet is one of the leading causes of coronary heart disease and can negatively impact your heart disease risk profile by....

• increasing your cholesterol level
• raising your blood pressure
• increasing your weight
• interfering with proper immune system function
• exacerbating inflammatory processes
• increasing your body's free radical burden
• interfering with proper blood sugar levels - leading to
  insulin resistance syndrome and...metabolic syndrome X negatively impacting your body's ability to cope with stress
• increasing your risk of developing adult onset*Diabetes or type 2 Diabetes

*Diabetes - type one or type two is a major risk factor on its own for developing Coronary Artery Disease.

Anything that may lead to the development of Diabetes which can be controlled by you should be avoided.

Heart Disease and Exercise

Little or no daily physical activity is one of the significant causes of coronary heart disease.

A lack of exercise....

• can negatively impact your stress levels
• lead to high blood pressure
• lead to high cholesterol levels
• lead to stored body fat rather than burned body fat
• cause unhealthy levels of weight gain
• Increase your risk of developing Type 2 diabetes
• Is often associated with poor dietary habits and smoking

Research has shown that people who exercise are less likely to develop heart disease.

Stress and Heart Disease

Some good scientific research indicates that...

• A stressful job has a direct biological impact on the body
•  Stress can raise the risk of heart disease
•  Long-term Stress may cause illness by prematurely aging the immune system
  
• Stress may raise cholesterol blood levels, potentially increasing the risk of heart disease via oxidized LDL levels
•  Some studies have established that stress is linked to increased heart rate and weakened immune systems

Blood Sugar and Insulin level

• Insulin is released into the blood stream by the Pancreas as a normal response to the presence of carbohydrate - which you ingest as a food source. If the carbohydrate in the type of food you eat releases too quickly into your blood stream as is the case with refined carbohydrates, it can cause sharp spiking of your blood insulin level.

Having a consistently high blood Insulin level can lead to...

• Heart Disease
• High blood pressure
• Diabetes
• Excessive weight gain.

Cholesterol and Heart Disease

"Too much cholesterol is one of the leading causes of coronary heart disease"

There aren't too many people around that haven't heard this message....remember...it's only one factor of many.

• cholesterol is a substance produced and used by your body.
• it helps to build and maintain your cell structure!
• Cholesterol is produced naturally in your body - some of it comes from the food you eat.
• when too much oxidized LDL cholesterol - incorrectly and simplistically referred to as BAD cholesterol circulates in the blood it can be deposited on the inside walls of your coronary arteries
• in combination with other substances, cholesterol can form plaque - a thick, hard deposit that can narrow the arteries and make them less flexible. This is the process of atherosclerosis.
• Systemic inflammation is the reason cholesterol accummulates in the walls of your coronary arteries

Click here for more info on Cholesterol

High Blood Pressure

• High blood pressure can cause injury or breakage to hardened deposits in coronary arteries
• This initiates a healing response to address the injury
• If this cycle continues, the healing process can eventually block off or severely narrow the artery in question
• Elevated blood pressure can lead to heart failure and damaged target organs...Kidneys for example.

Environmental Toxicity and Oxidative Stress

Oxidative stress plays a key role in the process that leads to coronary artery narrowing and other disease processes. many scientific experts now accept the role that oxidative stress plays as one of the important causes of Coronary Heart Disease.

• Oxidative stress is the term for damage caused by oxygen molecules - free radicals to the cells of your body
• free radicals begin to damage cells and other molecules
• this occurs when there are too many free radicals circulating in your system
• your body's natural antioxidant defenses become overwhelmed
• this process can lead to atherosclerosis
• The cardiovascular system is a major target for reactive free radical damage
•  The blood vessels that supply the heart can be severely damaged as a result of oxidative stress
• Free radicals are produced as a normal by-product of energy production in your body, but Environmental Toxicity is believed by many scientific experts to be causing free radical activity far beyond the limits your body can handle. ....read more Click Here >..... 

Your Age your Gender and Family History of Heart Disease

Around 80 percent of people who die of coronary heart disease are 65 or older. However..

• people in geographic locations called Blue Zones have a low incidence of chronic degenerative diseases such as heart disease and statistically live to a great age with vibrant health.

Being male also increases your risk, however with respect to  womens heart health 

• post menopausal women no longer has her natural hormonal protection and the gender difference normalizes in that age group.

Statistically you are also at greater risk of developing coronary heart disease if you have a

• direct blood relative such as parent, grandparent or sibling who has developed the disease.
• research has shown that genetic predisposition can be reduced significantly or normalized to that of the general population.
  

Your age, gender and family history are potential causes of coronary heart disease that you cannot change, concentrate on the many factors that you can change.

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For a fresh perspective on avoiding Coronary Heart Disease
check out the info at Refuse a Heart Attack

Preventing a heart attack web site provides information to the general public about the risks and conditions that lead to heart attacks. It helps people become aware that taking action now will lead to a healthier future.