Pharmacist focus
Patient Education Series March 2007
Healthy Heart
What are the risk factors for heart disease?
Conditions that increase a person's risk for heart disease, also called Coronary artery disease, are called risk factors.
There are some risk factors that you can't do anything about. These include:
- Male
- Older age
- Family history of heart attack or coronary artery disease
- Being post-menopausal
Other risk factors, fortunately, can be changed (modifiable risk factors). These include:
- Smoking
- High cholesterol
- Hypertension (high blood pressure)
- Lack of exercise
- Obesity
By improving modifiable risk factors, you can reduce your risk of heart attack or angina.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration warns that people who regularly take aspirin shouldn't drink alcohol. Patients who have heart disease should stop drinking alcohol and keep taking aspirin if their doctor prescribed aspirin as part of the treatment plan for their heart condition. Don't stop taking aspirin without talking to your doctor first.
Should I take aspirin during a heart attack or stroke?
The more important thing to do if any heart attack warning signs occur is to call 9-1-1 immediately. Don't do anything before calling 9-1-1 In particular, don't take an aspirin, then wait for it to relieve your pain. Don't postpone calling 9-1-1. Aspirin won't treat your heart attack by itself.
After you call 9-1-1, the 9-1-1 operator may recommend that you take an aspirin. He or she can make sure that you don't have an allergy to aspirin or a condition that makes using it too risky. If the 9-1-1 operator doesn't talk to you about taking an aspirin, the emergency medical technicians or the physician in the Emergency Department will give you an aspirin if it's right for you. Research shows that getting an aspirin early in the treatment of a heart attack, along with other treatments EMTs and Emergency Department physicians provide, can significantly improve your chances of survival.
Taking aspirin isn't advised during a stroke, because not all strokes are caused by blood clots. Most strokes are caused by clots, but some are caused by ruptured blood vessels. Taking aspirin could potentially make these bleeding strokes more severe.
What's the link between smoking and heart disease?
About 30% of all deaths from heart disease in the U.S. are directly related to cigarette smoking. Smoking is a major cause of atherosclerosis. Among other things, the nicotine present in smoke causes:
- Decreased oxygen to the heart.
- Increased blood pressure and heart rate.
- Increase in blood clotting.
- Damage to cells that line coronary arteries and other blood vessels, triggering atherosclerosis and heart disease.
What should I do if I have risk factors for coronary artery disease?
There are many things you can do to decrease your risk of developing heart disease. If the artery-clogging process has already begun, you can slow the rate at which it progresses by improving your diet, exercising, quitting smoking, and reducing stress. With very careful lifestyle modification, you can stop or even reverse the narrowing of arteries. While this is very important for everyone with risk factors for the disease, it is even more important if you have had a heart attack and/or procedure to restore blood flow to your heart or other areas of your body.
What dietary changes can I make to reduce my risk?
Eating right is a powerful way to reduce or even eliminate some heart disease risk factors. Adopting a heart- healthy nutrition strategy can help reduce total and LDL ("bad") cholesterol, lower blood pressure, lower blood sugar, and reduce body weight. To reduce your risk of heart disease, try these tips.
- Increase your intake of vegetables, fruits, whole grains and legumes.
- Limit fat intake. When you use added fat, use fats high in monounsaturates only.
- Eat a variety — and just the right amount — of foods high in protein. Commonly eaten protein foods (red meat, dairy products) are among the main culprits in increasing heart disease risk. By balancing animal, fish and vegetable sources of protein, you can reduce your risk.
- Limit intake of cholesterol.
- Eat complex carbohydrates (bread, rice, pasta and grains) and limit simple carbohydrates (regular soda, sugar, sweets).
- Eat small but more meals throughout the day (for example, eating 5 to 6 mini-meals).
- Reduce salt intake.
- Exercise regularly.
- Drink 32 to 64 ounces of water daily (unless you are fluid restricted).
What is cholesterol?
Cholesterol is a soft waxy like material that is made in the liver of animals. Animal foods such as egg yolks, milk fat, organ meats and shellfish, contain cholesterol. In many people, an elevated blood cholesterol level is caused by excessive intake of foods high in saturated fats, cholesterol and calories. Reducing intake of these products can reduce cholesterol levels. Limit intake to 300 milligrams of cholesterol per day.
If you have specific questions, contact your doctor or pharmacist
