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[S632]Smoking Causes Heart Disease

by Groshan Fabiola, Gro

Cholesterol is a fatty, wax-like substance produced by the human organism and found in a wide variety of foods rich in saturated fat. In normal amounts, cholesterol has a series of beneficial roles inside the body, protecting blood cells from damage and assisting a series of cellular processes. However, when in excess, cholesterol has a major contribution to heart disease, nowadays being renowned as one of the leading causes of heart failure and stroke.

The main reason why cholesterol causes heart disease is that it clogs the arteries, preventing the blood from circulating properly inside the body. When excessive amounts of cholesterol (especially bad cholesterol - LDL) accumulate inside the body and deposit inside arteries, they eventually lead to complete blockage of the arteries. When cholesterol completely blocks the coronary arteries (the arteries inside the heart), the result is complete heart failure - heart attack.

Normal, healthy arteries have a tough, harder exterior and a very soft interior (vital for proper blood flow). All three layers of arteries (the outer layer, mid layer and inner layer) are constructed from epithelial cells. While the outer layer is tough and the inner layer is smooth, the mid layer is muscular and elastic. Although all the layers of arteries have important roles in maintaining normal blood circulation, only the muscular layer has an active role in ensuring a healthy blood flow. The muscular arterial wall works in tandem with the heart; when the heart pumps blood into the arteries, the muscular layer relaxes, allowing the blood to completely fill the arteries; when the arteries are filled with blood, the muscular arterial layer contracts, pushing the blood in all the vascular regions of the body. The integrity of the arteries' layers (the muscular layer in particular) is crucial for efficiently carrying out the blood (containing oxygen and nutrients) throughout the whole body.

When in excess, cholesterol compromises the integrity of the arterial walls, covering the soft, smooth inner arterial layer. Cholesterol deposition inside arteries eventually leads to the formation of a thick plaque that completely covers the smooth arterial layer and affects the elasticity of the muscular layer as well. The condition is called arteriosclerosis and in time it can lead to heart attack and stroke. Even when the condition is non-fatal (doesn't involve the coronary arteries), it still considerably deteriorates one's health by depriving the body of proper oxygen supplies and vital nutrients.

In order to efficiently prevent against deterioration of the arteries due to high cholesterol, one should respect a healthy dietary plan and get plenty of exercise (improve blood flow and help eliminate excess cholesterol). Cholesterol-lowering drugs are also a good option of preventing arteriosclerosis. Such medications help reduce cholesterol levels by either reducing the production of the substance inside the body or aiding the body excrete it from the system.

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William Walters
Heart-Condition-Guide
Friday, 2:48 pm
Is Heredity The Cause of Heart Disease or Not
If your parents had heart disease, and their parents before them, you may feel as if you will develop heart disease also. While it is a fact that heredity is a cause of heart disease, it is only one factor among many. One recent medical study even says heredity was the accounting for less than 10% of a person’s risk of getting heart disease.
So, What is the Other 90%? Medical Personnel don't agree on what the number one cause of heart disease is, but there have been many studies that indicate people that smokes, and are overweight, and have high cholesterol are the 3 major factors of getting heart disease.
The chemicals in tobacco damages the artery walls, making it easier for cholesterol to build up and eventually causes clots, and blocking the arteries in the blood stream. Smoking also causes platelets, the part of the blood that will cause clotting, If you are an active person, that excercises daily this will slow down the risk of killer clots arising.
A person's body needs to have cholesterol and can actually produce all it needs, and as we consume different foods high in cholesterols, like diary and meat products, the body gets a lot more cholesterol than it needs and then starts to accumalate. The body saves cholesterol instead of excreting it, which gets stored along the walls of the arteries. Cholesterol deposits that accumalates leads to the blockage of the arteries and causes clots and if not treated can cause a heart attack or stroke and in worst cases even death.
High blood pressure is also a major cause of heart disease. Remember this, your arteries will be getting narrower because, of all the cholesterol stored in them, yet the body is the same size and needs the same amount of blood for the day to day tasks; your heart is trying to pump a lot of blood through an area that is getting smaller as time goes by. Just as a home air filter can get clogged up when trying to push air into the house that no one has cleaned in awhile so the filter can operate smoothly, your heart can overtax itself trying to force blood through blocked passages in the body.
Overweight, not just because of all the health problems that come with it, is another cause of heart disease a person needs to have a daily excercise plan to combat high cholesterol talk to your doctor before starting such a program. Often a person that is overweight has high cholesterol and or high blood pressure, which is known to increase the risk of heart disease many times over but, new medical studies are also showing a correlation between fat and heart disease in a way that isn't yet understood completely. Either way, as the stomach increases, the risk of heart disease seems to increase also.
Also, stress can cause heart disease so, unless your mother or father is stressing you out enough to cause a heart attack, they are not the cause of heart disease in general.
I hope that this article on Heart Disease provided you with enough information you were seeking about it. I will be writing more articles soon!

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Both Groshan Fabiola & William Walters are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Groshan Fabiola has sinced written about articles on various topics from Woman Menopause, Medical Condition and Health. For greater resources on please review. Groshan Fabiola's top article generates over 6120000 views. to your Favourites.

William Walters has sinced written about articles on various topics from Fitness, High Cholesterol and Hair Removal. William Walters, the owner of Heart Condition Guide, is interested in writing all types of articles in many different catagories and especially the ones relating to health issues such as heart diseases and cholesterol. Visit the site -. William Walters's top article generates over 9900 views. to your Favourites.