Heart disease prevention and a healthy heart is discussed by Dallas Health Helpers.

Heart disease prevention and a healthy heart is discussed by Dallas Health Helpers.what is strokeHeart disease is the number one killer in the United States. But 80% of heart disease is preventable.  The power to have a healthy heart is in your hands.

Is being high a risk to heat disease?  High cholesterol, high blood pressure and high weight are definitely conditions that contribute to poor heart health and a shortened lifespan.  So let’s look at these unfavorable situations that can lead to an early death.

High cholesterol:  leads to twice the risk of heart attack and heart disease or stroke. Cholesterol is a waxy substance in all our cells and in our blood.  Hardening of the arteries occurs when plaque, made up of cholesterol, calcium and fat builds up in arteries surrounding the heart, leading to heart attack, heart failure or stroke.  You are borderline high in total cholesterol if your count is above 200.  you are considered high in total cholesterol if you are above 230.

Here are some statistics:

• One third of all adults have high cholesterol and half of them do nothing to control it.
•  An estimated 71 million adults have high cholesterol.
•  An estimated 935,000 heart attacks occur every year.
•  An estimated 795,000 strokes occur each year.
•  Men still outnumber women in heart attacks, but not by much. More women than man have strokes. 

What can you do to lower cholesterol?

heart disease, disease of heart

There is much that you can do to help control cholesterol.

  1. Lifestyle: Start by having your total cholesterol checked regularly. Eat a healthy diet that includes plenty of fruits and vegetables.  Avoid packaged, fried, and fast food. Lose weight if you are not your ideal weight. Exercise and avoid smoking.
  2. Sterols: Plant sterols and stanols (2,000 mg/day) have been shown in multiple studies to help lower total cholesterol levels, coupled with the lifestyle changes above.  They appear to work by blocking the absorption of cholesterol in the diet.
  3. Fiber: Multiple studies have shown the benefit of fiber on lowering cholesterol levels in high-risk subjects.
  4. Soy: Soy supplementation has been shown to help lower cholesterol. Soy contains isoflavones, which are believed to be soy’s main cholesterol-lowering ingredients.

Contact Dallas Health Helpers at “Tim At Dallas Health Helpers dot com” for more information and support.