COURSE CODE:BIO1201

1.12 know how factors such as genetics, diet, age, gender, Name:
high blood pressure, smoking and inactivity increase the risk
of cardiovascular disease (CVD) Class/Period:

Date:

Key Questions: Notes:

What is risk? Risk is the chance of something unfavorable happening.

What are the factors that lead to Lifestyle Factors:

CVD? The first and the foremost reason for any CVD is an unhealthy lifestyle. It includes:

- Diet: Eating too much saturated fat increases the level of cholesterol in the
blood. It can also increase atheroma formation, which consequently leads to
blood clotting and heart attack.

- High Blood Pressure: Another reason of heart diseases can be high blood
pressure. It damages the arterial wall increasing the risk of atheroma formation.

- Smoking: Carbon monoxide in the cigarette smoke has high affinity for
hemoglobin and it reduces the amount of oxygen in tissue. This can also lead to
heart attack or stroke.

- Sedentary lifestyle: Lack of exercise and physical activities reduce the oxygen
level in blood and also increases blood pressure.

Factor other than lifestyle:

- Genetics: Genes that we inherit from our parents also play an important role in
disease. Family history of CVDs also increases the chances of CVDs.
- For example some people have
a) a higher tendency to have high blood pressure and poor cholesterol
metabolism
b) Arteries that are more easily damaged
c) Mutations in genes that affect relative HDL:LDL levels in the blood

- Age: It is an uncontrollable factor. With age the chances of CVDs increase. This
is because elasticity and width of arteries decreases with age.

- Gender: Males are more likely to have CVDs than females due to the hormonal
changes. This is because oestrogen gives women some protection from CVDs
before the menopause but after menopause the risk in both sexes is roughly the
same
 COURSE CODE:BIO1201

What is some lifestyle advice to Change in DIET

reduce the risk of CVD? - reduce saturated fat intake
- food labels allow informed choice
- obesity indicators BMI can be used.
- if someone is obese they can make an informed choice to reduce their weight

Quit SMOKING
- Tv adverts and warnings on packets
- NHS gives free advice

Increase EXCERCISE
- Inactivity increases risk so this has led to campaigns to exercise more
frequently.

Summary