Chapter 11 - Cardiorespiratory Health Flashcards
Cardiovascular diseases
CVD is the leading cause of death in Canada; nearly 1/3 of all Canadians alive today will die from it.
CVD is the results of a high-fat diet; obesity; a sedentary lifestyle; smoking; poor stress management; high blood pressure and cholesterol levels; and lack of knowledge about the signs of CVD. Many of the risk factors can be controlled through lifestyle management
Major Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Disease that can be changed
- Tobacco Use
- High Blood Pressure
- Unhealthy Cholesterol Levels
- Physical Inactivity
- Obesity
- People with diabetes face an increased risk for CVD
Contributing Risk Factors that can be changed
- High Triglyceride Levels
2. Psychological & Social Factors
Major Risk Factors That Can’t Be Changed
- Heredity
- Aging
- Being Male
- Ethnicity
Major Forms of CVD
- Hypertension
- Atherosclerosis
- Heart Disease and Heart Attacks
- Stroke or Cerebrovascular Accident (CVA)
- Congestive Heart Failure
Protect yourself against CVD
- Eat Heart-Healthy
- Exercise Regularly
- Avoid Tobacco
- Know and manage your cholesterol Levels
- Develop ways to handle stress and anger
- Know your risk factors
Tobacco Use (Facts // Canadians)
- smokers experience much greater health risks that non-smokers
- each year, one in five canadians die as a result of smoking
- smokers are 2 to 4 times more likely to develop CVD than non-smokers. in addition, canadians who smoke have a 70% greater change of dying from CVD than non-smokers
Tobacco Use // 5 effects
- reduces levels of “good” cholesterol (HDL)
- raises levels of triglycerides and low-density lipoproteins “bad” cholesterol
- nicotine causes blood pressure and heart rate to rise
- Carbon monoxide displaces oxygen in the blood, reducing the amount of oxygen available to the heart and other parts of the body.
- smoking causes platelets in blood to cluster, which shortens platelet life, decreases clotting time, and thickens the blood.
High Blood Pressure - what it is, and what it can lead to.
a. HBP occurs when blood exerts too much force against vessel walls. The higher the pressure, the harder the heart has to work to move blood.
b. hypertension strains, enlarges, and weakens the heart. it also scars and hardens arteries, making them less elastic.
c. hypertension can lead to heart attacks, strokes, atherosclerosis, and kidney failure
d. hypertension has no early warning signs
Unhealthy Cholesterol Levels - what it is.
Cholesterol is a fatty, wax-like substance that circulates through the bloodstream and is an important component of cell membranes, sex hormones, vitamin D, the fluid that coats the lungs, and the protective sheaths around nerves.
Our bodies obtain cholesterol from the liver, and from food we eat; levels in the blood depend on diet, age, sex, heredity, and other factors.
Good vs Bad Cholesterol
- LDL - Low-density lipoproteins - can accumulate in the blood vessels and cause heart attacks and stroke
- HDL - High-density lipoproteins shuttle unused cholesterol back to the liver for recycling
Recommended blood cholesterol levels
High levels of LDL and Low levels of HDL are associated with increased risk of CVD. So we want LOW levels of LDL and high levels of HDL.
Total cholesterol level should be below 5.2 mmol/L
HLD is especially important because high HDL levels seem to offer protection form CVD even when total cholesterol is high
How to improve Cholesterol Levels
Dietary changes - cutting total fat intake, substituting unsaturated for saturated and trans fat, increase soluble fibre intake.
Exercising
Quit smoking
High Triglyceride Levels
High levels - 400mg/dl and above - should be reduced through weight loss, regular exercise and a diet that is high in fibre and low in simple sugars and refined carbohydrates. Favours unsaturated over saturated fats.
Hypertension
High blood pressure is 140/90 or higher
pre-hypertension is 120/80 to 139/89
no symptoms or warning signs, so it’s important to check blood pressure regularly.
can be controlled through diet, exercise and medication
