She battles high cholesterol despite a nearly complete vegetarian lifestyle. There's a new breeze of fatalism in the air about heart disease, the nation's leading cause of death among men and women. Que sera, sera sounds a lot better than living a life without rewards. For the majority of us, however, genetics may be a far less dominant influence than we'd like to believe, as heart disease experts indicate. Dr. Duchak and other physicians agree there are seven cardiac risk factors you can do something about.
Smoking is also a major contributor to the progression of coronary artery disease.
In other words, if you've had a heart attack, you're more likely to have another one if you continue to smoke. Keep physically active. Only within the last decade have experts zeroed in on lack of exercise as a direct contributor to the development of heart disease. Primary care physicians like Meenakshi Patel, MD, spend a considerable amount of time re-educating patients about the importance of regular exercise throughout life. It's a new concept for them to think that activity and exercise are major parts of their life, and that they contribute greatly to their well-being.