Cardiovascular disease risk factors and prevention in young adults

Young Adults & Heart Disease

Research Considerations

For this paper, this writer chose to examine the subject of heart disease in young adults, with the aim to present information for young adults to help them increase their understanding of CVD. Many young adults consider heart disease as an old person's disease. From this paper, some of these young adults may become more aware that individuals of all ages, even their age, can have CVD. In turn, they will gain access to strategies presented to combat heart disease.

Questions this writer considered during the research of this paper included:

Why is heart disease a current concern for young adults?

Strategies to Address Concerns

The following figure (4) depicts CVD as the leading cause of death in the U.S. during 2002. On November 28, 2006, the reported heart disease still to be the leading cause of death, not only in the U.S., but worldwide. ("AIDS to be...")

Figure 3: Comparison of Causes of Deaths in U.S. during (Reinhardt)

The Causes and Cures Contributed to Heart Disease

Causes and cures contributed to heart disease range from research-based facts to confusing, conflicting contentions. One study proposes: "... young adults who consume more dairy products may be less likely to become obese and develop insulin resistance syndrome (IRS), a key risk factor for type 2 diabetes and heart disease." ("Dairy Curbs Heart Disease" 8) Some the studies report hardening of the arteries (that atherosclerosis) the "begins in childhood." ("Study Shows Programs Can") Children over the age of approximately 2 years, as well as all adults of all ages, according to the National Cholesterol Education Program, need to adopt heart-healthy eating patterns to reduce their risk of developing heart disease as they age. Children and young adults also reportedly lower their risks for CVD when they remain physically active and maintain a healthy weight. ("Study Shows Programs Can") Elias Zerhouni, M.D., director of the National Institutes of Health, relates concerns regarding young people who maintain unhealthy weights. He stresses that the time to begin to combat heart disease is "now," by countering obesity.

Linda Van Horn, Ph.D., R.D., professor of preventive medicine at Northwestern University, agrees. "You can raise a child to enjoy healthy eating and to be selective about food choices," she states. "Habits developed in childhood will hopefully last throughout their lives. With the right guidance and nutrition education, children learn to prefer healthy foods such as carrots and raisins or cereal as snacks, for example." ("Study Shows Programs Can")

Programs Can

One program initiated by the NIH labels foods as either "Whoa" foods or "Go" foods. Less healthy "Whoa" foods are high in saturated fat and dietary cholesterol, while more heart-healthy "Go" foods have low levels of dietary cholesterol and saturated fat. ("Study Shows Programs Can") Although NIHI's science-based, national public education program targets parents and caregivers of children from 8 to 1, it presents a positive strategy for young adults to also utilize to decrease their risks for heart disease. ("Study Shows Programs Can")

The We Can! Program recommends that children:

the Eat a sufficient amount of a variety of fruits and vegetables each day.

Choose small portions at home and at restaurants.

Eat fewer high-fat foods and energy-dense foods that are low in nutrient value such as French fries, bacon, and doughnuts

Substitute water or fat-free or low fat milk for sweetened beverages such as sodas

Engage in at least 60 minutes of moderate physical activity on most, preferably all, days of the week

Reduce recreational screen time (such as television, computers, and games) to no more than two hours daily." ("Study Shows Programs Can")

New Considerations

Seth J. Baum, MD, FACC, regularly presents speeches regarding the latest scanning technology for the heart: "angiography using computed tomography (CT) images." (Pathways to Healing)

This method, less expensive than current methods for diagnosing heart problems, produces three-dimensional images of clogged cardiac arteries. Baum also regularly presents integrative strategies to prevent heart disease. To decrease risk of heart disease, Baum recommends that individuals take nutritional supplements, eat a healthy diet, exercise regularly, and incorporate and practice stress reduction techniques, not only to prevent, but also to reverse heart disease.

Coffee... Tea... Vitamin C Claims

Some studies claim that drinking from one to three cups of coffee or tea a day reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke, due to the antioxidants rather than caffeine. "A new study has shown that people who drink four or more caffeinated drinks daily have a 53pc lower risk of death from heart disease, compared to those who drink less than half a cup a day. Those who have two to four caffeinated drinks a day have a 32pc lower risk." The bad news, however, is the protective effect from coffee and tea was experienced by individuals with very high blood pressure - or in young adults under 65. (Financial Times Ltd.)

Recent research findings reported in Seminars in Preventive and Alternative Medicine shows vitamin C may help protect against a range of health disorders, including cardiovascular disease. ("Clinical Data Shows...")

Steps to Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease an old adage some adults may be familiar with contends that 1000-mile journey begins with one step. This writer proposes one strategy young adults may want to implement to combat heart disease, the 10,000 steps program, is worth considering. Three Canadian researchers, however, recently challenged the concept which promotes walking 10,000 steps a day. They argue in their article: "Aerobic Exercise Better Than 10,000 Steps... The intensity of the exercise, not the exercise itself, determines if it is aerobic and if it can reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, and obesity." Katrina Chan, PT, DPT, CSCS, UCLA, on the other hand, regularly recommends the 10,000 steps program to motivate people to get up and begin to walk.

The Archives of Internal Medicine study confirmed that 30 minutes of walking a day (10-12 miles a week) "can prevent weight gain in most people who are now inactive. Other studies have shown that working up to 10,000 steps or more could reduce the risk of heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, and obesity. Companies and organizations have encouraged their customers and members to participate in the program. ("10,000 steps a day")

The following table (1) denotes comparisons of numbers of steps.

Table 1:

Related Numbers of Steps ("10,000 steps a day")

Number of steps average person walks a day

3,000-5,000 steps

One mile (Approximately)

2,000 steps

Five Miles (Approximately)

10,000 steps

For anyone wanting to begin a10,000 step program, Professor David Bassett, PhD, University of Tennessee, recommends purchasing a quality pedometer. He 13 electronic pedometers and found nine inaccurately estimated the number of steps measured up to 45%. JSC, an independent product testing firm, recommended New Lifestyles NL-2000 pedometer. ("10,000 steps a day")

After purchasing a pedometer, the following measures will help ensure it counts steps accurately:

Attach the pedometer at the waistline, directly above the kneecap. Either side of the body will work.

Do not attach a pedometer to dresses, blouses or other loose garments.

When walking, regularly check the pedometer while to ensure it remains in position.

Always wear the pedometer in an upright position, unless a professional, knowledgeable individual instructs otherwise.

Statistics in 2007 report that approximately 300,000 Americans die each year from heart failure. In an ongoing John Hopkins study which began in 2001, researchers monitored approximately 7,000 men and women, age 45 to 84, of different ethnic backgrounds. These individuals did not display any symptoms of heart disease. Results found: "African-Americans developed heart failure at significantly higher rates (4.6 cases per 1,000 per year) than all other races, including Hispanics and Caucasians. Their rate was almost five times that of Chinese-Americans (1 case per 1,000 per year) and almost twice that of Caucasians (2.4 cases per 1,000 per year)." (Johns Hopkins...)

The reported racial risk differences, albeit, basically dissipated when diabetes and hypertension among African-Americans were not factored in. This writer proposes that this information reminds young adults that developing a healthy heart habits, no matter the race or age, can contribute to reduced risk for heart disease.

Johns Hopkins...)

Congenital and Chronic Disease Concerns According to recent findings from a nationwide screening program by the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) published in the March 2007 issue of the American Journal of Kidney Diseases, young adults with chronic kidney disease will reportedly experience significantly more other, life-threatening conditions such as heart disease. A concern for young adults evolves from a survey that included 55,000 people considered high risk for developing kidney disease, "those with diabetes, high blood pressure, or a family history of these conditions or kidney disease." Many individuals with CKD do not realize they have the disease. Out of the participants in this study, this study: 29% were diagnosed with kidney disease; however only 2% were even aware they had a kidney problem. (Kidney Disease...)

Hope for Children with Congenital Heart Disease Zoler offers encouraging information to families with children born with congenital heart disease as a result of a study including approximately 70,000 participants with congenital heart disease who live in the province of Quebec. "During 1988-1989, the median age of death was 8 years old among patients with severe congenital heart disease (CHD) in Quebec (except those younger than 1 year). By 2004-2005, the median age of death in this group had soared to 42 years old, said Dr. Khairy, a cardiologist and epidemiologist at the Montreal Heart Institute.

Because of these changes in mortality, 'the burden of CHD has shifted to older patients.'" (Zoler)

Most Likely - Yet Less Likely

This writer encourages young adults to the take current warnings regarding increasing prospects of heart disease to heart - literally and figuratively. A study by doctors at the Northern General Hospital in Sheffield reports that young adults are most likely at risk for developing heart disease. "People under 40 with Type 2 diabetes have a higher risk than older people with the condition of developing cardiovascular disease." ("Heart disease 'time bomb'...") These individuals, however, are reportedly less likely to receive treatment for it.

Tomorrow's Time Bomb Question? This report contends that "an epidemic of diabetes among younger people will lead to a "time bomb" of heart disease claimed today.... findings come amid a huge rise in cases of the disease with the number of under 18s diagnosed increasing 10-fold since 2004." Simon O'Neill, of Diabetes UK, stresses that America is sitting on a time bomb and that current research "is extremely worrying, particularly in light of the fact that we already know that 80 per cent of people with diabetes die of cardiovascular disease." ("Heart disease 'time bomb'...")

Can Heart Disease be Prevented?

Can a young adult really prevent heart disease by adhering to traditional strategies such as not smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, habitually exercising, keeping healthy levels of cholesterol and blood pressure, and primarily eating "Go" foods. Sometimes, however, even when an individual does all these right things, he/she may still get heart disease. In turn, they and others around them few confused. Is the emphasis on preventing heart disease realistic or is it misleading? Can an individual actually prevent heart disease, or we'll what he/she does only slow it down? These questions are addressed by a doctor in a recent Harvard Heart Letter. This physician writes: "Preventing heart disease is, indeed, possible. The proof comes from autopsies conducted at the end of World War II in people who had lived at the edge of starvation. The arteries in their hearts showed virtually no atherosclerosis. Few people are going to go that far to ward off heart disease. Modern Western diets make it hard to avoid a fair amount of saturated fat and extra calories, and few people are as active as humans are probably meant to be. That means true prevention of atherosclerosis is out of reach for many people." Next best, the doctor recommends, is to slow the growth and spread of atherosclerotic plaque, which constitutes common denominator of cardiovascular diseases. For an individual to dramatically decrease his/her chances of a heart attack or for stroke, he/she does needs need to reduce or shrink cholesterol-filled plaque to prevent it from rupturing. When plaque ruptures, it is a key event that leads to blood clots forming. In turn, blood clots can block a coronary artery and cut off blood flow to the heart or brain, causing a heart attack or stroke.

Do the Right Thing Consequently, doing the right things such as to not smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, exercising regularly, controlling cholesterol and blood pressure, and eating more "Go" foods do quality as essential steps to help prevent or reduce heart disease at bay. (Harvard Heart Letter)

Young adults who smoke, you not maintain a healthy weight, and/or have diabetes may not realize factors are risks for heart disease. Often, a young person presumes heart disease and heart attacks only happen to older people. An Emory study, nevertheless, concludes that people under 40, diagnosed with coronary artery disease experience a dramatically increased risk of death. "Emory researchers studied the medical records of 843 young adult heart patients (with an average age of 35 for women and 36 for men) who were diagnosed with one or more coronary artery blockages between 1975 and 1985. Miller and his colleagues found that by age 50, about 33% of these patients had died." ("Young adults with heart disease...") a third of participants in this study were dead at follow-up. For the young adults with diabetes, the death rate was approximately two out of three, Joe Miller III, MD, an Emory Heart Center cardiologist and assistant professor of preventative cardiology at Emory University School of Medicine, states. Smoking, according this study, dramatically increased the risk of death from heart disease. ("Young adults with heart disease...")

Heart Disease...")

Unlearning Risk Factors

Even though "industrialization, urbanization and mechanized transport" reportedly indirectly contribute to obesity as these factors relate to reduced physical activity, these do not constitute the current risk factors this writer proposes for young adults to consider combating. As noted repeatedly in this paper, "some major risks can be prevented, treated and controlled by stopping smoking, reducing cholesterol and blood pressure, eating a healthy diet and increasing physical activity." Remember Greg? He continued to smoke

You are never too young to reduce the risk factors you can control including stopping smoking, losing weight if you need to and reducing cholesterol to a healthy level with diet and medication if appropriate.

Regular exercise and controlling diabetes are also key to helping prevent cardiovascular disease."

Young adults...)