Coronary heart disease is the leading cause of death among women and men in the United States.
And though heart disease is primarily a geriatric concern, according to UCLA cardiologists, college students can diminish their risk now of having a heart attack later in life by maintaining a healthy diet and active lifestyle.
Heart disease develops when cholesterol builds up in the arteries, which supply blood to the heart, and develops into a calcified plaque, which can constrict the coronary arteries and diminish blood flow to the heart.
Sometimes the plaque can rupture and the blood clotting can stop blood flow to the heart, generating a heart attack, according to UCLA cardiologists.
“The observation of increased coronary risk in both sexes is, to some extent, due to Western civilization or diet or lifestyles,” said Benjamin Ansell, a cardiologist at the UCLA Medical Center and director of the UCLA Center for Primary Care-Based Cardiovascular Disease Prevention.
There are many factors that increase the risk of heart disease, including smoking, diabetes, sedentary lifestyles, genetics and consuming saturated or trans fats, said Helga Van Herle, a cardiologist at the UCLA Medical Center and professor of medicine at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine.
But luckily, college students can investigate their predisposition to developing heart disease now.
“Patients in their 20s should have their fasting cholesterol level measured to see what their cholesterol panel looks like,” Van Herle said.
A fasting cholesterol test measures the patient’s cholesterol levels after a 12-hour fast.
The American Heart Association Web site states that coronary heart disease leads to death in people who are generally 65 years of age or older.
Though heart disease is the No. 1 killer of both sexes, males are more likely to have heart attacks at a younger age and have a greater risk of having a heart attack, according to the association.
The risk of heart attack is greater in males, which could explain why coronary heart disease can remain undetected in females until the disease has progressed further.
“When (women) are evaluated in an emergency room, their symptoms ““ even if they are identical to a man’s ““ are taken less seriously.
Men are seen more quickly and an intervention, like angioplasty, is given to men more often than to women,” Ansell said.
Though women may perceive breast cancer to be a greater risk than heart disease, this is not the case.
“At nearly every age group, a woman is more likely to die from heart disease than from breast cancer whether she’s 30 or she’s 50 or she’s 80,” Ansell said, based on a study he conducted.
There are many ways in which people can try to protect themselves from developing heart disease.
“By far, among the treatable risk factors, smoking is the most important one, especially for younger people. … Quitting smoking or never smoking, appropriate diet and losing weight and exercise are the most important things our youth can do,” Ansell said.
Incorporating healthier foods into diets can also be beneficial.
“You can control your diet by increasing the amounts of fruits and vegetables and fibers in your diets and limiting the more processed white breads, pastas and pastries,” Van Herle said.