When we talk about heart attacks or myocardial infarctions, we always think that the only vulnerable are the elderly. It is true that the elderly are more likely to suffer from heart problems, but a new study by the American Heart Association has shown that being young does not protect you from heart attacks
Hence, if you are in the 20s, 30s or 40s, I am sorry to tell you that you must take good care of your health.
The researchers examined patients from more than eight million hospitals and found that the three leading causes of heart attacks in youth and adults were:
The obesity
High blood pressure
Diabetes
Meanwhile, in another study by the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research (in Texas), they examined corpses of 760 adolescents and young adults. These individuals died due to other causes such as suicide, accidents or homicide.
However, while studying the bodies, they saw that these young people already showed signs of having their coronary arteries blocked due to high cholesterol levels. The researchers suggest that heart disease and stroke can be prevented in young people, and today we're going to show you how.
The risk factors
Obesity is the most common cause of heart attacks at an early age. Most young people have high levels of low-density lipoprotein or LDL, which is called bad cholesterol. When there are high levels of this bad cholesterol, an accumulation of plaque occurs in the walls of the arteries.
This prevents the normal flow of blood and leads to heart attack. Apart from this, other causes that increase the probability of suffering a heart attack are smoking, hypertension and having low levels of high-density lipoprotein or HDL, that is, the good cholesterol.
The National Cholesterol Education Project recommends that we take annual cholesterol checks, even if we are under 30 years old.
What to do when you have high LDL cholesterol
If your bad cholesterol levels are high, you should make some adjustments and changes in your lifestyle:
Eat healthy fats from lean meats and olive oil.
Eat salmon, herring, flax seeds, almonds and other foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids.
Increase your consumption of soluble fibre. You can find it in oats, fruit, vegetables and legumes.
Your doctor can prescribe medications known as statins. But even health experts agree that before you start taking pills, you should make an effort to adopt a healthier lifestyle, eat healthily and be physically active.
Remember to go to your doctor to study your case and prescribe the appropriate treatment.
Did you have any idea that young people were also in danger? Tell me in the comments!
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