Ways to Prevent Heart Disease

Heart disease is caused by a variety of factors, which means heart health may be approached in different ways. Maintaining a healthful diet and weight are important preventative measures, as are avoiding drugs and alcohol while pregnant and practicing caution in the use of stimulants at all times.

Definition

• Heart disease is an umbrella term that encompasses different heart issues. Congenital heart defects present from birth, arrhythmia and diseases of the blood vessels all qualify as forms of heart disease. The methods for preventing these heart issues may be different for each type of heart condition.

Alcohol, Drug Use and Pregnancy

• Most congenital heart problems occur through no fault of the mother, but certain things a pregnant woman might do can increase her chances of having a child with a heart defect. Consuming alcohol and using drugs while pregnant causes damage to the developing fetus that may include the cardiovascular system. Refraining from drinking alcohol and using drugs during pregnancy will markedly decrease a child's risk for being born with a heart defect.

Sodium

• Salt causes a person to retain extra fluids, which then forces the heart to pump harder to handle the increased volume it has to circulate throughout the body. This can cause hypertension, which is a leading contributor to heart attack and stroke. Eating a diet centered on foods that are prepared by the person eating them rather than buying instant, prepackaged and canned foods is an excellent way to cut down on sodium intake. Salt is often used to help increase the shelf life of these processed foods. Cooking your own food allows you to substitute other spices to create flavor. Vinegar also tastes much the same as salt when added to foods in very small quantities. For those who tend to heavily salt their food after it is plated without much thought, a simple solution to this problem is to remove the salt shaker from the table.

Saturated Fats

• Diets high in saturated fat also increase the risk of heart attack and stroke. A buildup of cholesterol in the arteries caused by saturated fats forces the heart to work harder and leads to blockages within blood vessels that interfere with the flow of blood and oxygen to the heart and brain. Eating a plant-based diet or focusing on fish, lean meats and low-fat dairy products reduces the intake of saturated fats and cuts the risk of correlated heart disease.

Stimulants

• Using stimulants increases the heart rate, sometimes to dangerous levels. Certain illicit drugs, such as cocaine and methamphetamines, may lead to sudden cardiac arrest. Avoiding illegal drugs that accelerate the heart rate, as well as legal forms of stimulants that create the same effect on a smaller scale, such as caffeine and nicotine, can protect against the long-term damage caused by a chronically elevated heart rate.

Eating Disorders

• People who starve themselves, force themselves to throw up or take other extreme measures to lose large quantities of weight quickly place a great deal of stress on their hearts. These activities throw off the body's electrolytes that regulate the heart beat. Low blood pressure and imbalances in hormones caused by eating disorders also contribute to heart disease. People with severe and prolonged eating disorders may ultimately go into sudden cardiac arrest. It is important to never seek out weight loss at the expense of overall health. Maintaining a healthy weight is a key part of maintaining optimal heart health, and it is important to understand that a low weight and a healthy weight are not the same thing.