Heart disease is often termed as a cardiovascular disease which affects the entire cardiovascular system. Several factors including a person's lifestyle could increase the risk of heart diseases. In the United States, this is one of the most common causes of death among Americans.

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Heart disease is a broad term; coronary heart disease is one of its common forms. Other medical condition associated with heart attack includes high blood pressure, angina, and diabetes.

Heart disease is preventable if a person takes the necessary steps to stop the disease from developing. The following ten lifestyle choices can increase a person's risk of suffering heart disease.

Meat consumption

Meat contains fat or cholesterol that causes artery-clogging. Scientists have found that over-consumption of meat can have a harmful effect on the human body, especially in the heart. A study found the bacteria in a human's gut metabolizes L-carnitine; a chemical compound found in red meat. It will be converted to trimethylamine-N-oxide compound which is dangerous to the heart because it develops atherosclerosis - hardening of the cardiovascular arteries.

But not all meat are bad, fish and chicken meat are typically good for the health.

Drinking or Alcohol Consumption

Too much alcohol in the system may increase the level of some fats in the blood called triglycerides. This may lead to heart failure, high blood pressure, and stroke. Drinking alcohol should be done in moderation, the average for men is one to two drinks per day, while in women, it is advisable to drink one per day, according to American Heart Association.

Smoking

Aside from lung cancer, smoking can also contribute to developing heart disease. Cigarette smoking is one of the causes of premature death in the United States. It accounts 440,000 of the 2.4 million annual deaths.

Smokers can develop several chronic disorders like atherosclerosis; fatty substances build up in the arteries. Another study also revealed that smoking is one of the major causes of coronary heart disease that leads to heart attack.

Bad Sleep Habits

People who have a lack of sleep tend to increase their CRP or the C-reactive protein which is released with inflammation and stress. If the CRP is high, it may increase the risk factor for cardiovascular and heart disease. Lack of sleep also increases the insulin resistance in the body and leads to the development of type 2 diabetes.

High Sugar Consumption

A high amount of sugar in the body could significantly increase the risk of dying due to cardiovascular disease.

A study published in JAMA: Internal Medicine in 2014 revealed that those who consumed 17 to 21 percent of added sugar in their drink increased their chance in developing cardiovascular disease than those who only consume eight percent of added sugar.

Taking Certain Medications

There are more than 100 supplements and other medication bought over the counter that can cause heart failure. The American Heart Association has warned about this threat.

The three offenders that belong to the category include those medicines that contain antihistamines, high sodium levels, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen.

Neglecting Exercise

There is a strong link between heart disease and lack of exercise. If the calories in the body do not burn off, it will eventually lead to weight gain. When a person gains weight, the heart will have difficulty pumping blood because of imbalance between lipids and cholesterol level.

Salt Imbalances

Like blood sugar level, the sodium or salt balance in the body should be monitored too. When there is an extra amount of sodium in the bloodstream, the water in the blood vessels will be pulled out, if that happens, the total blood volume inside the blood vessel will increase. This will lead to constriction of blood vessels that can cause hypertension.

Eating Fruits and Vegetables

Eating different kinds of fruits and vegetables can help the body to control blood pressure and weight. Healthy foods rather than processed meats are much better because they are rich in minerals, vitamins, calories, and low in calories and fats.

Bottling It All Up

Stress is already a risk factor that can trigger another risk factor to develop. If a person is stressing too much, the blood pressure will increase. The stress hormone; cortisol and adrenaline may be persistently elevated if the person is experiencing chronic stress. In some research, stress has also been linked to blood clot changes in which the risk of heart attack increases.