How is it a risk factor?Lack of ExercisePeople who are aerobically fit have larger, strong hearts with clearer and more elastic arteries which means that the heart does not need to deliver as many beats to deliver the same amount of blood than people who are less aerobically fit, therefore this saves more heart beats every year and so it won't wear out and tear the heart as easily.OverweightFor the people who are overweight, there's an extra strain put of their heart as the heart has to pump blood to ...view middle of the document...
For people who have more fat and cholesterol in their blood, it is more likely for them to get cardiovascular disease because the fat and cholesterol will stick to the inside of their arteries; this then leads to atherosclerosis as the layer of plaque gradually builds up.High blood pressureBlood pressure is the measure of the pressure in the arteries when blood is squeezed into the arteries from the heart. When someone has high blood pressure, their arteries become hardened by atherosclerosis which will increase the chances of a blockage that causes a heart attack or a stroke (which are one of the effects of cardiovascular disease).SmokingSmoking deposits cholesterol in the arteries which may damage artery walls. Smoking also reduces the level of high-density lipoproteins (or HDL) in your blood. HDL is the "good" cholesterol which clears the "bad" low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol from the blood vessels.High Stress LevelsEveryone experiences stress sometime in their lives but feeling constantly stressed can lead to heart disease over time. People with high stress levels have high blood levels of C-reactive protein which is an indicator of inflammation of the arteries.
