11 Surprising Causes for Heart Complications and Stroke
Heart diseases are among the greatest
killers of our day and age and lay claim to the lives of about 18
million people worldwide every year, according to the World Health
Organization. Of those, a whopping 80% deaths are the result of a stroke
or a heart attack. While some possible triggers of heart conditions,
such as obesity, are a matter of public knowledge, other possible causes
may surprise you:
1. Poor Dental Hygiene
Apparently, not brushing your teeth may
cause plaque buildup… in the arteries. The same oral bacteria that cause
periodontal (or gum) disease can enter the blood stream and cause
atherosclerosis, a cardiovascular condition wherein blood vessels become
clogged by arterial plaque, possibly leading to strokes and heart
attacks.
2. Drinking Diet Sodas
If you’re looking into sugar-free soft
drinks as a means to avoid obesity and related heart complications, you
have another thing coming. Heavy diet soda drinkers are actually more
likely to suffer from a stroke or a heart attack than those who drink
sugar-sweetened sodas.
3. Shunning Beans
Beans, beans, they’re good for your heart.
This isn’t just a line out of a nursery rhyme, it’s a medical fact.
Eating beans and other protein-rich legumes (such as lentils, chickpeas,
soybean, peas and peanuts) has been found to lower your resting
heartbeat as effectively as regular exercise, potentially preventing
heart attack.
4. Dieting
Committing to a drastic change of lifestyle
may sound like a good idea when thinking about weight loss, but often
dramatic and prohibitive diets are very hard to sustain over time, cause
great fluctuations in body mass over a short period of time and can
cause more harm than good. This yo-yo effect, in and of itself, can
dramatically increase the risk of heart disease.
5. Contracting Flu
If there weren’t enough reasons to get a
flu shot, according to this study, among people between the ages of
65-86, the likelihood of having a heart attack within one week of
contracting influenza A was six times! Odds were even higher for people
with prior heart complications and those who contracted influenza B.
6. Depression
The notion that body and mind operate
independently is flat-out wrong, as many mental health conditions and
physical illnesses appear to be inextricably tied. This is also true of
depression, as a recent study established. The research showed that
among men above the age of 45, depression was associated with a 30%
increased chance of heart attack, and a 18% increased chance among women
of the same age group. For both groups, depression was also associated
with 24-44% increased chance of stroke, with odds increasing with the
intensity of their mental distress.
Likewise, one of the major symptoms of depression is social withdrawal,
which- independently of the aforementioned study- has been shown to be
associated with a 30% increased chance of coronary heart disease and
stroke
7. Avoiding Fruit
Much like legumes, eating fresh fruit has
been established as an effective way to reduce heart pressure, as well
as lowering blood sugar levels. According to the study conducted in
China, people who consumed fresh fruit on a daily basis were 40% less
likely to have a heart attack, 34% less likely to have a major heart
complication, and 30% less likely to have a stroke.
8. Sleep Apnea
Snoring might be a hassle for your partner,
but it can indicate a huge risk for you. Severe obstructive sleep
apnea, characterized by problems breathing through the nose while
sleeping has been associated with a nearly twofold increase in coronary
heart disease, heart failure and heart disease-related death.
9. Living at a Low Altitude
This may seem strange to you, but for
athletes who depend on good cardio, this is hardly news. Living at a
high altitude increases cardiovascular endurance, which in turn
decreases the odds of having metabolic syndrome, a cluster of several
medical conditions, including obesity, high blood pressure and high
blood sugar, by 25%. Metabolic syndrome is a major cause of type 2
diabetes, heart disease and stroke.
10. Body Image
We know that obesity can be a cause for
multiple heart conditions, but apparently stigma around obesity greatly
increases the risk. According to a 2017 study, obese people who suffered
from a negative body image were 46% more likely to have metabolic
syndrome than those who are more accepting of their body type.
11. Your Job
Yes. Your work, and particularly if your
career finds you sitting on a chair in front of a monitor for the better
part of the day, can kill you. A 2012 study found that a sedentary
schedule was associated with a 147% increase in heart complications and a
90% increase in heart-related deaths. Meanwhile, a work schedule of 55
or more weekly hours was associated with a 13% increased chance of
coronary heart disease and a 33% increased chance of stroke.