Running Head: CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES 1

Cardiovascular Diseases

Institutional Affiliation

Date
CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES 2

Introduction

Cardiovascular diseases are the conditions that affect the operational conditions of the

heart and blood vessels or both. Heart diseases can be generally grouped into; Coronary disease

(affect the vessels that supply blood to heart muscle); Cerebrovascular disease (affect the vessels

supplying to the brain); Peripheral arterial (affects vessels that supply to the legs and arms);

Rheumatic (destroys the heart muscles and valves); Congenital pulmonary embolism and vein

thrombosis (leads to blood clots in the veins and heart)

The CVD risk factors are behavioral and intermediate factors. Behavioral factors include

physical inactivity, unhealthy diet, excessive alcohol consumption, and tobacco use. Intermediate

factors are measured in care facilities to indicate the risk of developing stroke and heart

conditions (Sacks, et al., 2017). The CVD is a health concern because it affects people regardless

of the gender, age, race and the background in terms of socioeconomic. The CVD affects

approximately 735,000 Americans and causes 610,000 deaths annually (1 of every 4 deaths). The

prevention of the CVD includes treatment of diabetes and hypertension, physical activity; avoid

smoking and excessive alcohol consumption and consuming of vegetables & fruits (Wang, et al.,

2014). The CVD is an economic burden for Americans whose cost of treatment is projected to

increase by 2035. Direct costs are projected to reach $749 billion from $318 billion while

indirect cost will reach $368 billion from the current $237 billion giving a total of $1.1 trillion

cost burden.

The foods we include in our diet are a reflection of heart conditions. Foods associated

with high chances of causing heart diseases include: Processed meats; huge amounts of salt used

for the preservation of meat. Refined and processed carbohydrate; processing removes most of
CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES 3

the nutrient structure for the grains. Soft and sugary drinks; increases weight gain chances if

added in meals. Physical activity prevents CVD by lowering blood pressure, prevents clotting &

improves circulation, helps in weight and fat loss and builds masses of muscle (Swift, et al.,

2014). Lack of sufficient activity translates to increased accumulation of fats and weight gains at

the same time. This might lead increased blood pressure and blood vessel clotting because there

is not enough activity to burn the fats in the body system.

According to BMI, it shows that I am at great risk of getting CVD because of being

overweight. The analysis of the Personal Wellness of my health indicate good health and

management of stress with low levels of physical exercise like weight workouts and walking or

taking the stairs. There is also an indication of poor nutritional habits that which include

consumption of foods that have calories. Also, according to an analysis on Fast Food Nutrition

indicates poor nutrition whereby there is consumption of foods with high fats, calories, and

sodium.

To reduce the risk of contacting CVD I have to check on the diet and physical activities

engagement. On the diet, there is the need to cut the use of foods that contain the high levels of

fat, cholesterol, and calories and embrace eating plenty of fruits and vegetables. The physical

activities I should take include weight lifting, regular walking to school and taking staircase

instead of the lift. All these actions will be beneficial because they will help me check on my

weight gain, and burn the excessive fats, therefore, reducing the risks of getting a CVD in the

future.

For my work out session, I invited two children because it seems fun to interact with

children and they have minimal resistance. Majorly, I stated the various risks that people face
CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES 4

and also outlined the benefits of exercise because it’s a way of having fun apart from reducing

risks of getting CVD which was positively met by the children and promised to be taking

different physical exercises as prevention measures for heart conditions. The nation would

achieve minimal death rates to the CVD if one active person invites a minimum of two inactive

people for physical exercise and the cost of treating the heart conditions would go down too.

Adults and children should be advised to take part in any physical activities they see to fun as a

way of carrying physical activities for the prevention of CVD.

CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES 5

References

Sacks, F. M., Lichtenstein, A. H., Wu, J. H., Appel, L. J., Creager, M. A., Kris-Etherton, P.

M., ... & Stone, N. J. (2017). Dietary fats and cardiovascular disease: a presidential

advisory from the American Heart Association. Circulation, 136(3), e1-e23.

Swift, D. L., Johannsen, N. M., Lavie, C. J., Earnest, C. P., & Church, T. S. (2014). The role of

exercise and physical activity in weight loss and maintenance. Progress in

cardiovascular diseases, 56(4), 441-447.

Wang, X., Ouyang, Y., Liu, J., Zhu, M., Zhao, G., Bao, W., & Hu, F. B. (2014). Fruit and

vegetable consumption and mortality from all causes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer:

systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies. Bmj,

349, g4490
CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES 6

Bibliography

Sacks, F. M., Lichtenstein, A. H., Wu, J. H., Appel, L. J., Creager, M. A., Kris-Etherton, P.

M., ... & Stone, N. J. (2017). Dietary fats and cardiovascular disease: a presidential advisory

from the American Heart Association. Circulation, 136(3), e1-e23. Retrieved from:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28620111?report=abstract

This article gives a statistical highlight n the effects that CVD has caused in America and

on the global stage. The article discusses the various measures that have been studied and proved

to have effects on the reduced use of dietary fats as well as the CVD which was gathered from

controlled randomized trials. The trial's results show that a lower intake of fats has a

corresponding low death rate cause. The article information, therefore, has a recommendation for

the adoption of unsaturated fats that seem healthy for the heart. This article is useful for this

research because it gives information on the effects of saturated fats and recommends alternative

fats which are healthy for the heart. It is also a foundation for a further research study on the

effects of fats for the health of the heart.

Wang, X., Ouyang, Y., Liu, J., Zhu, M., Zhao, G., Bao, W., & Hu, F. B. (2014). Fruit and

vegetable consumption and mortality from all causes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer:

systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies. Bmj, 349,

g4490. Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25073782

This article is research aimed at looking for the response of vegetable and fruit

consumption on the risk cause reduction of the CVD. The results of the study indicate that high

vegetable and fruit consumption were associated with lower risk of CVD mortality causes with a

conclusion and recommendation that there should be high consumption of vegetables and fruits

for keeping health heart. This article is of great importance for the research of the various ways
CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES 7

of treating and prevention of the heart conditions and further gives recommendations of high

consumption of fruits as well as vegetables.

Swift, D. L., Johannsen, N. M., Lavie, C. J., Earnest, C. P., & Church, T. S. (2014). The role of

exercise and physical activity in weight loss and maintenance. Progress in cardiovascular

diseases, 56(4), 441-447. Retrieved from:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3925973/

This is a research article aims at looking the roles that physical activities and exercise

play when it comes to the prevention of CVD by reducing weight gain and promotion of weight

maintenance. The study of the article is majorly focused on weight losses that are associated with

physical activity and exercise. The results of the study show that exercise programs promote the

loss of weight which by greater chances reduce the risk of CVD and provide recommendations

for the education of individuals on the best methods for the exercising. This article is useful for

the research because it provides the various advantages associated with exercise as a way of

reducing the risks of CVD and forms a foundation for further study on physical exercise in

relation to the CVD.