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Nutritional Library »   Avoiding Certain Diseases »

Heart disease

Heart disease (also called cardiovascular disease) is caused by narrowed or blocked blood vessels that prevent your heart from working properly and pumping effectively blood to all of your body's cells. This usually occurs if extra fat in your body sticks to the inside of your blood vessels, and then slowly builds up.

Cardiovascular disease symptoms may be different for men and women. Men are more likely to have chest pain; whereas women are more likely to have symptoms such as shortness of breath and extreme fatigue.
General symptoms include the following:

•     Chest pain
•     Shortness of breath
•     Pain, numbness, weakness or coldness in your legs or arms
•     Pain in the neck, jaw, throat, upper abdomen or back
•     Dizziness
•     Fluttering in your chest
•     Swelling in the legs, abdomen or areas around the eyes
•     Irregular heartbeat
•     Sweating
•     Fainting
•     Fullness, indigestion, or choking feeling
•     Nausea or vomiting

•     Stop smoking or avoid being a second hand smoker
•     Exercise regularly and stay active
•     Control your blood pressure and cholesterol levels
•     Maintain a healthy weight; if you are overweight, try to lose weight
•     Have a balanced healthy diet; consume high fiber foods such as fruits, vegetables and whole grain products, and reduce your intake of high fat and sugar foods