Heart diseases are not uncommon, and so are heart attacks which a lot of people seem to be experiencing.
Heart attacks are medically known as Myocardial Infarction, which is the stoppage of heart that suddenly takes place either by damage or death of a part of the heart muscles.
It is caused due to lack of blood flow that is rich in oxygen to the heart muscle and blockage because of blood clots in coronary arteries.
There are a number of causes of heart attack that lead to its onset.
Firstly, a diet that consists of high cholesterol is one of the leading causes of heart attacks among people.
Such a diet which has high saturated fat and cholesterol may lead to other health risks too, like obesity and increased blood pressure.
Basically, high levels of cholesterol in food, blocks the arteries of the heart.
It gets deposited in the arteries, blocking the flow of blood to the heart muscles.
The narrowing down of arteries leads to heart attack.
Secondly, smoking is one such hazardous behavior that may cause heart diseases and attacks.
Contact with smoke whether it is due to the direct smoking behavior of the individual or through passive smoking, results in atherosclerosis.
The nicotine that is present in cigarettes is known as being responsible for increasing the blood pressure level, while carbon monoxide that is also present reduces oxygen content in the bloodstream.
People who are obese are also at a higher risk of having a heart attack, as being over weight means that the individual has high cholesterol levels and fats in the body.
This may also increase the risk of having diabetes.
Moreover, people who have inactive lifestyles, lacking any form of exercise have a higher tendency of heart attacks.
Being inactive while consuming a diet that is unhealthy and high in cholesterol and fats is what leads to most people having heart diseases.