There are many other factors that could lead to coronary heart disease, such as smoking, stress, drinking and not exercising enough as well as the main underlying cause which is high blood cholesterol levels. Coronary heart disease can also be inherited. Many of these factors can be modified, including, smoking, drinking and exercise. Yet, some of the causes of coronory heart disease are beyond the control of humans. For instance, no one can control their age or the genes that they inherit. However, if a person tries to exercise more or stop smoking and drinking then they will have a lower chance of getting coronary heart disease.
Furthermore, the effects of smoking are that it makes the blood vessels of the heart become sticky. It increases the chance of fat molecules to deposit on the inner lining of the arteries which can cause the lumen to narrow, thus restricting the blood flow through them. Chemicals in smoke also make the walls of the blood vessels become sticky. Obesity can prevail due to the lack of physical exercise for the reason that exercise helps to burn the fat in our bodies. Exercise also keeps the heart muscles active and strong, without exercise the muscles eventually become weak and can only support a slow blood flow. This again results in little oxygen reaching the heart in a given time.
Moreover, high blood pressure can be due to a results of insensible drinking and too much salt it the diet. Nicotine also causes high blood pressure, by reducing the capability of the arteries to dilate. In addition to causing high blood pressure nicotine is also responsible for making the red blood sticky. A blockage in the arteries can occur not only as a consequent of fat deposit, but also from sticky red blood cells.
On the other hand, stress can be a cause of coronary heart disease but this is still related to diet.
Regardless, of all the above factors which cause coronary heart disease, the foremost cause is having an unbalanced diet, especially one that is reliant on the intake of excess saturated fats and refined carbohydrates. Excessive eating can lead to obesity with which a person is likely to get high blood pressure and blood cholesterol level. Although the blood cholesterol level of a person is hereditary it can also be affected environmentally, for example by the consumption of a lot of animal fat. Since a high blood cholesterol level is one of the major causes of coronary heart disease, diet can be perceived as the most significant source of coronary heart disease. Nevertheless it is not the only source.
