Do junk food and smoking increase the risk of heart attack?

Today, the prevalence of non-communicable diseases is at an all-time high. Diseases related to blood pressure, heart disease and lung conditions are becoming increasingly common. About 18 million people died of heart disease in 2016, 85 percent of them due to heart attack and stroke. In India, specifically, the mortality rate of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is 272 per 100,000, as against the global average of 235, according to data from The Global Burden of Disease study.

Since many lifestyle factors, including diet and substance abuse, cause cardiovascular diseases, it may be important to understand whether junk food and smoking increase the risk of heart attack.

Dr. Vanitha Arora, Senior Cardiologist at Apollo Hospitals, New Delhi said that high amounts of cholesterol and triglycerides in junk food pose a particular risk to heart health as they cause thickening and hardening of the arteries connected to the heart. This causes the heart to pump harder and faster, which in turn leads to a higher risk of myocardial infarction, as a heart attack is medically known.

Smoking is also a risk factor for heart attacks because smoking damages the blood vessels and heart muscle which can reduce blood flow to the heart, increasing the risk of stroke and heart attack by forming clots. .

So both eating junk food and smoking are dangerous when it comes to heart attack or even increase the risk of other heart diseases. lifestyle The change for young professionals further increases the risk of heart attack, resulting in more people under the age of 40 being at risk of heart attack and stroke.

Genetic and lifestyle factors such as high stress, high blood pressure, diabetes, high lipids, family history, obesity, poor dietary habits and too little physical activity also contribute to poor heart health.

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