Today, the prevalence of non-communicable diseases is at an all-time high. Diseases relating to blood pressure, heart conditions, and lung conditions have been becoming increasingly common. Nearly 18 million individuals died in 2016 from cardiovascular disease, of those 85 percent were due to heart attack and stroke. India, in particular, has seen a cardiovascular disease (CVD) death rate of 272 per 1,00,000 against the global average of 235, according to data from The Global Burden of Disease study.
With many lifestyle factors including diet and substance abuse leading to cardiovascular diseases, it can be important to understand whether junk food and smoking increase the risk of a heart attack.
The high amount of cholesterol and triglycerides in junk food pose a particular risk for cardiovascular health as they thicken and harden the arteries connected to the heart, said Dr. Vanita Arora, senior cardiologist at Apollo Hospital in New Delhi. This causes the heart to pump harder and faster, which in turn causes a higher risk of myocardial infarction, as heart attack is known medically.
Smoking is also a risk factor for heart attack since smoking damages blood vessels and the heart muscles which can reduce the flow of blood to the heart, which in turn increases the risk of stroke and heart attack through clot formation.
So eating junk food and smoking are both dangerous when it comes to increasing the risk of a heart attack or even other cardiovascular diseases. Lifestyle changes for young professionals further increase the risk of heart attack, as a result of which more individuals below the age of 40 are at risk of a heart attack and stroke.
Genetic and lifestyle factors like high stress, hypertension, diabetes, high lipids, family history, obesity, poor dietary habits and very little physical activity also contribute to poor cardiovascular health.
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