Awareness among the people, about the risk factors contributing not only to the development of heart diseases but also worsening the existing heart problems, help reducing the heart disease and save people from the trauma undergoing heart surgery. Besides risk factors, people also must know about the balanced diet from Heart's point of view. Risk factors broadly include many personal characteristics, health conditions, and lifestyle habits.Brief description of these factors is given below.

1. Age and family history:

• After attaining the 45 years of age, a man’s risk of heart disease begins to rise,
• A woman’s risk begins to increase after attaining the 55 years of age

• If any of family members had a heart attack before age 55 (brother or father), or before age 65 in case of mother or sister, there are risks to develop heart disease.

2. Smoking:

• The nicotine in cigarettes is known to constricts the coronary arteries, which raises blood pressure and forces the heart to work harder. Smoking also raises carbon
  monoxide levels and reduces oxygen levels in the blood and thus increases the heart ’s need for oxygen on one hand and restricts the amount of oxygen it receives on the other.

• Quitting smoking will regularize the blood pressure after a few days and improve the blood flow and breathing within a year.

3. High Blood Pressure

• Blood pressure is considered high when it stays at or above 140/90 for non-diabetics and 130/80 for diabetics over a period of time.

• It should be kept under control to reduce the risks of stroke and heart attack. A high systolic blood pressure (first number) indicates more chances to develop heart problems even if diastolic blood pressure (second number) remains in the normal range. Hypertension also raises the risks of congestive heart failure and kidney disease. High blood pressure is often called the silent killer and may cause damage to blood vessels.

High blood pressure can be controlled in two ways:

Changes in the lifestyle

• Minor increase in blood pressure can be controlled by losing weight (in case of overweight people), doing regular physical activity, limiting the salt and alcohal consumption, and changing your eating habits.

• The eating plan of the people suffering from hypertension should emphasize on inclusion of fruits, vegetables, whole-grain foods, and low-fat dairy products in the diet.
• Diet should be rich in magnesium, potassium, calcium,protein, and fiber, but low in saturated fat, trans fat, total fat, and cholesterol.
• The diet should limit the consumption of red meat, sweets, and sugar-containing beverages.

• Sodium is the main ingredient in salt and is found in many processed foods, such as soups, convenience meals, some breads and cereals, and salted snacks.Consumption of less sodium helps in lowering blood pressure.

Medication

• Research shows that diuretics (water pills) are very useful for treating high blood pressure in many people and reduce the risk of death from heart and blood vessel diseases, especially among people with diabetes .

• Risks of heart attack, stroke, congestive heart failure, and kidney disease are reduced greatly if blood pressure is lowered with medicines.

• Changes in daily habits and dietary may be able to gradually reduce the amount of medication.

4. High Blood Cholesterol

• Having both diseases (heart disease and diabetes) increases risks of heart attack very high. In such cases it becomes very important to
• If you have both diseases, it is extremely important to take steps to keep both your cholesterol and your diabetes under control.

• Studies have proven that lowering cholesterol in people with heart disease reduces the risks for heart attack.
• Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is often called “bad” cholesterol because a very high level of LDL in your blood can lead to blockages in your arteries. The higher LDL number means higher risk of heart disease and heart attack.

• High-density lipoprotein (HDL) is known as “good” cholesterol because HDL helps to remove bad cholesterol from the body and prevents its build up in arteries. The lower HDL number means the higher risk of heart disease and heart attack.
• Optimum values for different fractions should be as follows.

        HDL   > 40 mg/dl

        LDL   < 100 mg/dl

        VLDL < 28 mg/dl

        Triglyceride  < 150 mg/dl

        Total cholestrol  < 200 mg/dl

        Coronary risk ratio   < 5.00

5. Overweight and Obesity

• Being obese increases your chances of developing diabetes, high blood pressure, and high blood cholesterol.
  
• Maintaining a healthy weight is a necessary for controlling heart disease.

6. Physical Inactivity

• Lack of physical activity may result in high blood pressure, diabetes, and being overweight.

• 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity helps to protect the heart.

7. Diabetes

• People who have diabetes have the same risk for heart attack as those having heart disease themselves. People having both problems have an even higher risk for heart attack than those who have either heart disease or diabetes alone.

• Diabetes that most commonly develops in adulthood is called type 2 diabetes. It is a serious disease in which the pancreas makes insulin but body cannot use it properly.
  
• Diabetes is the number one cause of several ailments like kidney failure, blindness, and lower limb amputation in adults in addition to heart problems. It can also lead to nerve damage, difficulties in fighting infection, and delayed wound healing.

• Risk factors for type 2 diabetes include overweight, physical inactivity and a family history of diabetes.

• Fasting blood glucose level of 126 mg/dL or higher shows that you have diabetes.

• Quiting smoking, doing regular physical activity, and taking aspirin daily (if recommended by a doctor) are important ways to prevent heart disease complications if one has diabetes.

8. Stress

• Emotional stress and ways of coping with stress like smoking, excess drinking or over-eating are major risk factors for heart disease.
  

9. Alcohol

• Recent research suggests that small amounts of alcohol (one drink per day for women, and two drinks per day for men) may help protect against heart disease by raising levels of “good” HDL cholesterol.

• People having heart disease should be very careful and discuss with doctor about using alcohol.
  

• Heavy drinking can raise blood pressure, contribute to stroke, doubles the risk of dying after a heart attack and can damage the heart muscle, leading to heart failure.

10. Sleep Apnea

• It is a serious disorder in which a person briefly and repeatedly stops breathing for short periods of time during sleep. People suffering with sleep apnea are more likely to have a heart attack, stroke, high blood pressure, and congestive heart failure.

11. Menopausal Hormone Therapy

• Studies have shown that estrogen-plus-progestin medication increases the risk of heart attack  and increases the risks of stroke, blood clots, and breast cancer.