Here are a few of the prevailing myths about heart disease, followed by the real story.
MYTH: If your parents had heart disease, you’ll get it too.
Not true. Heart disease does run in families. Your doctor should know if one or both of your parents had heart disease before age 55.
But heredity is not destiny. You can still control risk factors like smoking, obesity, diet and cholesterol. The choices you make can still reduce your risk of getting heart disease.
MYTH: Heart disease begins in adulthood.
False. Teenagers can already have streaks of fat in their major arteries.
Childhood obesity and diabetes are the first acts in what can be a lifelong cardiac drama.
Following a sensible diet is vital for people at any age.
MYTH: If your weight is normal and your cholesterol is normal, you’re safe.
Uh-uh. Thin people with low cholesterol die of heart attacks every day. Normal weight and normal lipids are good.
But weight and diet are only part of the story. You need to quit smoking, exercise and control your blood pressure.
MYTH: Women get breast cancer, not heart disease.
Nope. Heart disease kills far more women than breast cancer. Women past the age of menopause are at particular risk. Both men and women need to observe the same diet and lifestyle factors.
MYTH: Cigarettes and cigars are bad for the lungs, not the heart.
Bogus. Smoking is a disaster for the entire body. Especially the cardiovascular system.
Smoking is associated with everything from coronary artery disease, to heart rhythm disorders, to heart failure.
MYTH: If you’ve smoked a long time, quitting now won’t help.
Not so. The minute you quit, you begin the process of reducing your cardiac risk, not to mention your risk of lung, bladder, mouth, breast and colon cancer.
You can eventually reduce some risks to levels approaching those of someone who never smoked.
MYTH: If you take statins, you can eat whatever you want.
Sorry. There’s no free lunch. Statins can cut your risk of cardiac events.
But they only do half the job. The rest is up to you — beginning with diet, exercise, quitting smoking and controlling your blood pressure.
MYTH: Heart attacks are caused by “clogged pipes.”
NOT. Unlike simple angina, or chest pain, heart attacks are not merely a plumbing problem. They arise from a complex interplay of factors.
These include body chemistry, inflammation, and the presence of something called unstable plaque in the arterial walls.
Your blood vessels have several layers. Cholesterol in your blood stream seeps into these layers and forms little pockets of fat. For some reason, some of the pockets of fat become soft and inflamed. They can burst, causing passing blood to clot. This suddenly forming clot blocks the blood flow and causes the heart attack. It can all happen in a few seconds.
There are many other heart disease myths that need to be debunked, such as the belief that only drastic exercise and dieting can reduce our risk. Actually, mild exercise and sensible diets can go a long way.
Or the belief that stress is good for you. It’s not. Stress is bad for your heart. It’s bad for your whole body.
The truth won’t set you free from heart disease. But without it, we can never beat this deadly foe.
Source - Douglas Rimmerman, MD, Cleveland Clinic Cardiologist. Cleveland Clinic is ranked as one of the top three leading hospitals in the nation.
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