HEART DISEASE

The heart is an amazing organ in your body

It pumps blood through your body and you could not live without it.

SOME TYPES OF HEART PROBLEMS

• Coronary artery disease
• Irregular heart beat
• Heart attack
• Heart valve disease
• Enlarged heart

CHOLESTEROL

• There are good and bad types
• Liver produces more cholesterol when you eat saturated and trans fat
• Your body (liver) produces all the cholesterol you need
• Its also found in food you eat, like meat and dairy
• High cholesterol is bad for you and can increase risk of heart disease

Too much cholesterol begins to form plaque in your artery walls, and it makes it harder for your heart to circulate blood. Plaque can turn into blood clots which can be very dangerous. If it blocks an artery to your brain it could result in a stroke, if it blocks an artery to your heart it could result in a heart attack. In this case, heart bypass surgery is done to replace the blocked and damaged arteries.

HEART BYPASS SURGERY

• Also called coronary bypass surgery
• Used to replace damaged and blocked arteries
• These arteries are replaced with blood vessels from other places in your body
• It can be a planned surgery or an emergency surgery
• It is major surgery and has some significant risks

TO PREVENT HEART DISEASE

• Eat healthier
• Eat less trans fats
• Eat less saturated fats
• Decrease your cholesterol
• Exercise and stop/do not start smoking

TRANS FAT

• A type of unsaturated fat
• The most harmful type of fat
• Raises cholesterol and increases risk of heart disease
• Natural and artificial (artificial is hydrogen added to liquid vegtable oil)
• Examples: milk products, meat products, potato chips

LIPIDS

• Two types: unsaturated and saturated
• Saturated is unhealthy and too much leads to heart disease
• Unsaturated is healthy
• They provide energy, are structural & deliver chemical messages
• They are hydrophobic, so they create waterproof coverings like ear wax

DNA

• Our genetic material
• Heart disease is hereditary
• Family history of early deat from heart disease doubles a persons risk
• Deoxyribonucleic acid
• Some gene mutations are also known to cause heart disease