Heart
Cardiovascular Disease (CVD)
Numbers
CVD is the second leading cause of death behind cancer
Kills 25% of all humans in Australia.
The goal is to prevent CVD by reducing damage to blood vessels when you are younger
Main Types
Heart attacks
Stroke
Heart failure
Aorta diseases
Peripheral vascular disease
Major treatable risk factors
Smoking
Overweight and obesity
Unhealthy diet
Physical inactivity
Lipid problems
High blood pressure
Diabetes mellitus
Healthy diet
Components of a healthy diet include intakes of -
Fruits and vegetables
Fibre, including cereals
Foods with a low glycemic index and low glycemic load
Monounsaturated fat rather than trans fatty acids or saturated fats
Omega-3 fatty acids
Stop smoking
Smoking is still the leading avoidable cause of premature death worldwide
Blood pressure control
General aim is <130/80
Any blood pressure above 115/75 is doing damage to blood vessels
Lipid problems
Lower total cholesterol, triglycerides and LDL
Higher HDL
Physical activity
Moderate intensity exercise for 150 minutes per week
Any exercise helps
Weight loss
Rough guide is to aim is for a BMI of 20 to 25
Management of Diabetes
Tight control of Diabetes helps
Omega-3
More Omega-3 Fatty Acids protects
Alcohol
Less than 1-2 standard drinks per day