RISK FACTORS FOR CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE Risk factors are traits and lifestyle habits that increase the risk of disease. The more risk factors a person has, the higher the chances that he or she will develop heart disease. Some risk factors can be controlled or treated. These include:

1. High Blood Pressure — High blood pressure makes the heart work harder than normal, causing it to and weaken over time. High blood pressure usually has no specific symptoms and no early warning signs. It’s truly a “.” Blood pressure is the pressure of the blood against the walls of the .

2. Tobacco Smoke — Smoking is the single most cause of death in the United States. Smokers’ risk of heart attack is more than that of nonsmokers. Constant exposure to other people’s smoke raises the risk of heart disease and stroke even for nonsmokers. The nicotine and carbon monoxide in tobacco smoke reduce the amount of in the blood.

3. High Blood Cholesterol — The risk of coronary heart disease rises as blood cholesterol levels . High cholesterol has no symptoms, and many people have it without knowing it. It’s important to find out what your cholesterol levels are so you can lower them if you need to. If you have high blood cholesterol, eating a healthy diet, maintaining a healthy weight and getting regular physical activity are very important to lower your risk. Cholesterol is a , waxy substance found among the lipids (fats) in the bloodstream and in all your body's cells. It's an important part of a healthy body.

4. Physical Inactivity — An inactive lifestyle is a risk factor for coronary heart disease. When is combined with overeating, then excess weight, higher blood cholesterol levels and diabetes can result. All of these raise the risk of heart disease. For most healthy people, the American Heart Association recommends 30–60 minutes of physical activity on days of the week to condition the heart and lungs. Physical inactivity is a major risk factor for developing coronary artery disease.

5. Obesity and overweight — People who have excess especially if a lot of it is in the waist area — are at higher risk for health problems. People with excess body fat are at higher risk of heart disease even if they don’t have other risk factors. . If you have too much fat you're at higher risk for health problems, including high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, diabetes, heart disease and stroke. Obesity is defined simply as too much body fat. Your body is made up of fat, protein, carbohydrate and various vitamins and minerals

6. Diabetes Mellitus —Even when levels are under control, diabetes greatly increases the risk of heart disease and stroke. In fact, most people with diabetes die of some form of heart or blood vessel disease. Diabetes is a disease in which the body doesn't produce or properly use insulin. Insulin is a hormone produced in the pancreas, an organ near the stomach. is needed to turn sugar and other food into energy. When you have diabetes, your body either doesn’t make enough insulin or can’t use its own insulin as well as it should, or both. This causes to build up in your blood.

Word Bank

arteries
body fat
carbon monoxide
decrease
enlarge
glucose
increase
insulin
lipids
most
oxygen
physical inactivity
preventable
silent killer
soft
some
sugars
twice
veins
water