Consider One Drink

A drink a day? Many people may rejoice in knowing that consuming alcohol may lower your risk of heart disease. However, it is with moderation that alcohol consumption is recommended for heart disease prevention.

Many experts now believe that consuming just one glass of alcohol a day such as beer or wine can lower your risk of a heart attack. This is just one glass. A glass is defined as 12 ounces of beer or four ounces of wine.

It is important to not drink any more than this, because drinking too much alcohol can cause problems with the liver and can actually increase your risk of heart attack or stroke.

Heredity and Heart Disease Risk

Heredity is one cause of heart disease that someone cannot change. Many times heart disease is genetic and passed on from parent to child.

Children who have parents that have heart disease are more likely to develop heart disease themselves. Many times when heart disease is prevalent in families, it is also compounded with other risk factors.

It is always important for a family with a high risk factor of heart disease to treat and control any risk factors that may present themselves. Seeing a doctor regularly for check-ups and heart checks is important in helping to control any heart disease that runs in families.

The more a person knows about the heart disease that may run in their family, the more a person can do to help minimize the risks of developing it.

Obviously, doctors cannot do anything about what is in someone's genes, but the more information a person can share with his or her doctor about a hereditary heart disease, the more a doctor can do more to develop strategies that may help that person in the future.

Cholesterol Contributes to Heart Disease

Many people don't know what cholesterol is let alone know what their cholesterol levels may be. One thing that is known is: having high cholesterol can contribute to heart disease.

When fatty deposits filled with bad cholesterol build up on your arteries, it can cause a lack of blood flow and oxygen to your heart. This can result in heart disease.

A person's total cholesterol level should be lower than 200 mg/dl. Your LDL (this is the bad cholesterol in your blood) should be less than 70 mg/dl if you have an existing heart disease.

Your LDL level should be less than 100 mg/dl if you are at risk for heart disease and it should be no higher than 130 mg/dl if you have no risk factors.

It is important to raise your good cholesterol (HDL) and lower your bad (LDL). A goal for good cholesterol (HDL) is 40 mg/dl, and anything higher is wonderful.

People at risk for heart disease, and even those not at risk, should have their cholesterol levels checked regularly. By simply changing your diet and exercising, you can lower your cholesterol.

Blood Pressure Contributes to Heart Disease

Blood pressure is often called a "silent killer", because many people are unaware they suffer from high blood pressure. High blood pressure can lead to stroke and heart attack. People need to have their blood pressure monitored on a regular basis by a physician.

High blood pressure often causes an increase pressure on the kidneys and the heart to work harder. This then increases the risk of heart attack, stroke and even kidney disease.

A normal blood pressure is considered to be 120/80 and lower. High blood pressure is considered to be 140/90 and higher.

Blood pressure can be controlled through exercise, weight loss and diet. There are times when medication is required to help decrease blood pressure. Reducing your blood pressure results in less chance of developing heart disease.

Gender and Heart Disease Risk

Heart disease is not a picky disease. It can affect anyone, anywhere. However, there are those who more at risk due to their gender and age.

Heart disease was considered a male-dominated disease for many years, because men tend to die earlier from it than women. Men still are more at risk for heart disease, but women's risk for heart disease seem to be catching up with the men, just at a different age.

Men tend to have a higher risk for heart disease between the ages of 50 to 60. More men are diagnosed with heart disease at this age. However, women are being diagnosed more often between the ages of 65 to 70 years, thus resulting in almost a tie between the number of women and men who have heart disease.

The big difference is not the number of men and women who are susceptible to heart disease. The big difference is the age at when most develop the condition.

It is believed that women do not develop heart disease as early as men due to the estrogen a woman develops. This estrogen helps protect a woman's body against certain factors that cause heart disease to develop.

When menopause occurs, the estrogen level is eliminated and the risk for heart disease heightens.

Both men and women of any age can make lifestyle changes that will lessen their chances of devloping heart disease.

Body Weight Contributes to Heart Disease

Being overweight can contribute to the development of heart disease. The heart has to work harder in people that carry more weight than those who are slim. This puts a strain on the heart of the overweight person.

Someone who is overweight may also have a higher bad cholesterol level, higher blood pressure and an increased risk of diabetes. Having high blood pressure or high cholesterol increases the chances of developing heart disease.

To lessen your risk of heart disease due to weight, it is important to know your BMI, or your body mass index. BMI is calculated using your height and weight. Doctors often use it to determine if one is overweight or underweight.

To figure BMI you must divide your weight in pounds by 2.2. You then must multiply your height in inches by .0254. When this is done, you divide your pounds by inches to get your BMI.

A BMI higher than 30 would be considered obese. Being obese puts you at risk for heart disease. Being overweight is classified as anything from 25 to 30. People who are overweight are also at an increased risk for heart disease. A normal BMI is from the 18.5 to 24.9 range.

Exercise and diet can help you lose weight; it can also help reduce your chance of developing heart disease due to obesity.

Definition of Heart Disease

Heart disease is a broad term used to describe several types of cardiovascular diseases. All of the diseases associated with the term heart disease can possibly be fatal, but also can be treated or prevented.

There are four types of heart disease that are common for diagnosis. They are as follows:

-Coronary artery disease
-Congestive heart failure
-Heart arrhythmia
-Cardiomyopathy

Heart disease affects not only the heart but also the blood vessels surrounding the heart.

Heart disease can lead to the following conditions: heart attack, high blood pressure, stroke and angina.

Heart disease is currently the number one killer of both men and women in the United States. This disease continues to affect developing countries as well.