In the United States, heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women killing over 655,000 people each year.
Obesity and type 2 diabetes, according to experts, are the primary causes of the rise in heart disease. Add to these are people are not moving more and stressing more.
They are not also spending more time with their loved ones and not taking time out from their busy schedule to relax and enjoy life.
Heart disease is any condition that affects the heart. It includes heart rhythm problems, blood vessel disease, and congenital heart defects. The two most common causes of heart disease are high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
Oklahoma has one of the highest death rates linked to heart disease in the country, accounting for one in four deaths, killing more than 10,000 people every year. The rise in the number of deaths can be attributed to an increase in the number of overweight and obese people.
Obesity rates in Oklahoma have risen faster than in any other state in the country, according to data. Over the last 15 years, the number of obese people has increased by 18.5 percent.
Obesity has now reached more than 31 percent of Oklahoma residents.
Overweight and obesity refer to an abnormal or excessive accumulation of fat that gives a risk to a person’s health. The primary reason for having obesity is too much eating and engaging in little physical activity.
If you consume high amounts of sugars and fat but do not exercise or do any physical activity to burn off the energy then much of the surplus energy will accumulate and be stored in your body as fat.
Other contributors to obesity are genetics, medications, a diet high in simple carbohydrates, diseases such as insulin resistance, hypothyroidism, Cushing’s Syndrome, polycystic ovary syndrome, and many other factors.
Obesity can increase the risk of heart disease and other circulatory diseases. If you are overweight, this can lead to fatty material building up in your arteries, these are the blood vessels that carry blood to your organs. When the arteries that carry blood to your heart get clogged and damaged then it can lead to a heart attack.
There are many ways of lowering your risk of heart disease. By lowering your blood pressure and your cholesterol, you will also decrease the risk of having a heart attack, needing heart surgery, and dying from a heart attack.
If you don’t have heart disease, maintaining low blood pressure and cholesterol levels will help you lower your chance of developing it.
Other ways of lowering your risk of heart disease include eating a healthy diet, maintaining a healthy weight, limiting alcohol intake, avoiding smoking, getting regular exercise, managing stress, and taking a wellness class about a healthy lifestyle.
Also, visit your doctor regularly. It was discovered that over 80% of these people actually have health insurance but for whatever reasons they do not go for regular checkups. Moreover, they don’t take their prescribed medications.
It is important to follow your doctor’s orders for all medications that they prescribe for you and if you have any questions regarding your medications, talk to your healthcare provider or pharmacist.
As shown in the study in Oklahoma, obesity can ruin your health or prove fatal. Manage your weight - no matter how cliche the advice might sound, it is the only way out of the health epidemic we are in.