Heart Disease Is Not a

Heart Disease is not a simple illness; rather it is a conglomeration of diseases that affect the heart and arteries, the vessels responsible for pumping blood throughout the body. Coronary artery disease, heart failure, and heart arrhythmias are three common types of heart disease. Coronary artery disease occurs when arteries become smaller, so it is difficult for blood to make it to the heart.

This type of heart disease is the primary cause of heart attacks, a medical emergency that occurs when an artery is completely blocked and the heart is receiving too little blood for at least twenty minutes. Coronary artery disease also causes angina, chest pain that is caused by the heart getting too little blood. Angina is often a warning sign of a heart attack ("Heart Disease" 2007).

Heart failure occurs when the heart is not pumping enough blood, so other organs do not receive all they need, and heart arrhythmias are irregular heart beats that are often normal but can sometimes cause faintness, dizziness, or shortness of breath ("Heart Disease" 2007). The three main types of heart disease are relatively common and are associated closely with diet. According to the most recent statistics, taken in 2006, 71,300.000 Americans had at least one type of cardiovascular disease.

The disease is most likely to affect the older population, with 27,400, 000 of the 71,300,000 being over the age of 65 in 2006. In terms of ethnicity, Hispanics, Asians, and whites are among the least likely to contract the disease. Around 9.9% of African-Americans, 13.8% of American Indians and Alaskan Natives, and 16.6% of Asians have the disease. On the contrary, only 5.6% of Asians, 7.7% of Hispanics, and 11.4% of whites have the disease (American Heart Association 2006).

Women are especially prone to heart disease, and in 2003, two times as many women died from this disease and strokes than all types of cancer. Among women, African-Americans and Latinas must be especially vigilant, as these groups are more likely to suffer from heart disease because they display more risk factors ("Heart Disease" 2007). Risk factors for heart disease are strongly linked to lifestyle choices, especially diet. In fact, dietary lipids, serum cholesterol, and sodium are linked directly with heart disease.

Diets high in sodium lead to hypertension, or high blood pressure, which is also linked with the malady. Thus, a decrease in the amount of saturated fat and cholesterol for all people, as well as limiting the amounts of total fat, processed sugars, and calories for those who are overweight, is recommended for preventing the disease (Stamler 1982, p. 95).

Obesity, a result of a poor diet and lack of exercise, is a risk factor for heart disease, and a combination of diet improvement and an exercise schedule is recommended for the treatment of obesity and prevention of heart disease ("Diet and Heart Disease" 2007). Dietary change has also been prescribed in the treatment of heart disease. For example, Pereira et al. found that a low-glycemic diet was effective in treating and preventing heart disease as well as obesity (2004).

Similarly, eating an abundance of fruits and vegetables, and avoiding meat and other foods that are high in fat, is recommended for a healthy heart ("How to use diet to treat heart disease" nd). Thus, heart disease is a sickness that is critically linked with diet and other diet-related conditions such as obesity and hypertension. Studies have suggested that.