$Unique_ID{BRK01060}
$Pretitle{Circulatory System}
$Title{Is There a Way to Lower Chances of a Heart Attack?}
$Subject{heart attack prevention}
$Volume{G-3, G-26}
$Log{}

Copyright (c) 1991   Tribune Media Services, Inc.


Is There a Way to Lower Chances of a Heart Attack?


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QUESTION:  I am a vigorous man for my age, and very health conscious.  However
I think the odds are against me as my father and both his brothers departed at
an early age from heart attacks.  However, the more I read about the risk
factors for heart attack, the more confused I become.  Is there really a
chance to lower my chances of a heart attack and achieve a normal life span?

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ANSWER:  Very possibly.  Many doctors believe a person can lower his/her risks
of such attacks by following good health rules.  There are some things that
cause heart attacks (known as risk factors) you cannot change:  age, sex,
race, and a family history of heart disease.  Nevertheless, there are causes
that depend entirely upon you, and those are the ones you will want to work on
as they can really make a difference.
     In the past 20 years, certain types of heart conditions and deaths from
them have decreased in this country.  That is due to many things, including:
improved diagnostic methods, new medications, by-pass surgery, and better
understanding of what some risk factors such as age, sex, smoking, high blood
pressure, high cholesterol levels, obesity, diabetes, lack of exercise,
actually play in heart attacks.
     About 85 percent of all heart disease cases in the United States may be
attributed to modifiable factors including:  smoking, high blood pressure,
high cholesterol levels, alcohol, salt, oral contraceptives, and obesity.
     So stop smoking, and being around those who do, as much as possible.
Cigarette smoking is the single most preventable cause of heart diseases and
deaths from them in the United States.  If you have tried "everything" to quit
smoking but have not been able to do so, talk with your physician.
     Seriously curtailing excessive alcohol use and eliminating as much salt,
sugar and animal fats as possible from your diet also can help decrease
chances for an attack by lowering your blood pressure and cholesterol.
     Increasing consumption of fish, some say as many as three meals of fish
per week are needed, may prove beneficial in lowering cholesterol levels.
Also, if you are sedentary, slowly but steadily increasing exercise that you
do on a regular basis (try three times each week) can be helpful.
     Obesity raises blood pressure--weight loss helps reverse it.  Also,
obesity increases cholesterol levels and possibly other heart-damaging
conditions.  If you are obese, you must lose weight to be healthy.  Weight
loss will be easier for you if you increase your exercise at the same time,
and stay with the exercise after you have become thin to help you keep the fat
off and maintain your health.
     Additionally, new findings seem to indicate that taking one aspirin daily
can help prevent heart attacks in some people suffering from hardening of the
arteries who have several known heart attack risk factors.
     So you see, it may not be the easiest thing to do, but by applying all of
the tips I have given you here (or at least some of them) you can actively
wage war on the disease you fear, and increase your odds to the point where
you may never suffer from it.
ÿ
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The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace 
the counsel and advice of your personal physician.  Promptly consulting your 
doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical 
problem.
