8 cardiovascular risk factors all Aussies can reduce

Dr Andrew Thompson, a registered doctor at telehealth service, InstantScripts, is urging Australians to be aware of the prevalence of cardiovascular events and provides recommendations for reducing risks.

He believes it is more important than ever for Australians to be able to identify and reduce their risks of heart attacks, stroke, angina or atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries).

“In medicine, we talk about modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors. The former is related to lifestyle, while the latter relates to age, family medical history, genes, sex and sometimes ethnicity. Most people have at least two risk factors, regardless of age – and multiple factors increase the risk. The good news is that most risks can be reduced with a healthy lifestyle,” says Dr Thompson.

“A big message I want to offer Australians – especially women – is to not ignore the warning signs. As women have heart issues less frequently and their heart attack symptoms differ from men, it is easy to mistake a cardiovascular event for anxiety or stress.

“Signs and symptoms that should prompt a visit to your doctor include (but are not limited to) shortness of breath, decreased capacity to perform exercise that was usually achievable, chest pains, particularly if brought on with exertion, feelings of the heart racing or missing a beat and faintness or dizziness.

“There are a number of tests your doctor can carry out, from simple stress tests and blood pressure checks to more serious ultrasounds, x-rays, ECGs, and angiograms. At InstantScripts, our team of doctors provide telehealth consultations to discuss concerning symptoms, prescriptions for appropriate medicines, and provide an easy, quick process for patients to order a pathology test or blood pressure check,” he says.

8 risk factors and how to manage them

1. Waist size, especially in women. “A study has found that women with a 90cm-plus waist and men with a 102cm-plus waist have a higher risk for heart disease. The study found that fat around the waist is more metabolically active than fat around the hips, is closely related to insulin resistance, and maybe more strongly associated with the risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes. A healthy, lean diet together with plenty of fruits and vegetables will lower your risk factors of cardiovascular events.”
2. Inadequate sleep. “There are studies linking quality sleep with heart health. During deep sleep, much of our body rhythms stabilise, including our heart rate and blood pressure, reducing stress and strain on the heart. The heart does not have adequate time to benefit from these during insufficient and disrupted sleep.” Dr Thompson recommends we get at least seven to nine hours of quality sleep a night.
3. Doing less than 15 minutes of physical activity per day. “Low levels of physical activity increase your risk of high blood pressure, diabetes and weight gain, as well as your levels of bad cholesterol. Together these can damage the blood vessels to your heart and, in turn, increase your risk of cardiovascular disease.”
4. Mass body index of 30kg/m²or more. “If your BMI is greater than 30, your heart works harder to send blood to your essential organs. This increases your risk of diabetes and hypertension as well as high cholesterol levels which, in turn, increases your risk of cardiovascular disease.” Dr Thompson recommends aiming for a healthy BMI range of 20-25.
5. More than four standard alcoholic drinks for men and more than two standard drinks for women. “Alcohol has direct toxic effects on your heart and blood vessels. Along with this, it damages your liver, which results in increased strain on your heart.”
6. Low fruit and vegetable consumption. “This is usually associated with an unbalanced and unhealthy diet. Not only does this predispose us to weight gain and the associated cardiovascular risk but it will also increase our risk of diabetes and poor cholesterol control – which further increases our cardiovascular risk.” The Heart Foundation recommends at least five servings of vegetables and two serves of fruit every day.
7. High blood pressure. “Some individuals have a strong family history of high blood pressure and genetic factors may be involved; for others, it is caused by lifestyle factors such as little or no exercise, diabetes, obesity, and smoking. High blood pressure puts increased strain on our heart and the blood vessels, which can weaken the heart muscle over time. The heart must work harder to pump blood, which can result in a heart attack when other predisposing factors are involved.” Dr Thompson recommends having blood pressure checks at least annually after the age of 30.
8. Diabetes. “Diabetes is often associated with obesity and other cardiovascular risk factors. It results in a change in our metabolism of certain fuel sources which can put undue stress on our heart and blood vessels. This increases our risk of developing blockages in our blood vessels, which can lead to heart attack and stroke.”