TOP HEALTH RISK FACTORS

In America, heart disease is the top preventable disease. Sure some people have genetic predisposition but we are learning that the environment has a lot to do with whether those genes decide to express. The field of epigenetics explains this phenomena. It turns out that the DNA is embedded with something like a lock. The locks can be opened through environmental factors. Once the lock is open the genetic info can express.

It turns out that an unhealthy lifestyle can open a lot of locks that allow negative genetic predispositions to present. Specifically, we know that smoking is a predisposition to chronic disease. We know that it causes the heart to work harder while also decreasing the overall amount of oxygen transportation. Cigarette smoke has free radicals, have unpaired electrons that disrupt normal and healthy tissue.

Free radicals also come from sun exposure, smog, charbroiling our food…there are many ways to be exposed to free radicals. When we consume antioxidants found in fruit in vegetables we can sometimes neutralize free radical damage.

Next, sedentary lifestyle plays a huge risk factor to health. A lifestyle that lacks sufficient exercise increases the risk of insulin resistance which is linked to type 2 diabetes. [1] Being inactive also increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, cognitive decline, obesity, and bone loss. [1]  When you exercise your immune system is boosted, also your blood pressure and resting heart rate decrease.

Body fat is also dangerous. We also know that the visceral body fat, the fat that surrounds your organs acts like a hormone, which signals for the increase of inflammation in the body. Visceral body fat also increases risk of cardiovascular disease.

Lastly, keeping your triglycerides, blood pressure, and blood glucose levels in check through diet and exercise are also very important factors in preventing cardiac disease.