Like many other genetic factors, Cardiovascular disorders can be passed down from family. So if heart disease and diabetes have affected your family, you too may be at a greater risk. But don’t panic yet - with awareness, healthy habits and regular check-ups with our professionals at 1 Health Medical Centre, you can avoid any catastrophic health scare from occurring. Here are a few ways you can adapt to promote a healthier future.
The Difficulties of Genetics
Knowing your family history can be more critical to your personal well being than you realize. Having a close relative or an immediate family member, like a parent or sibling, dealing with type 1 diabetes can hugely increase your risk of developing type 1, type 2, or prediabetes. Although surrounding environmental factors can also pose a risk similar to those caused by genetics, having a family history of heart disease can add to increasing that risk. While it is impossible to change your genetics, you can create a prevention plan by noticing the warning signs of chronic diseases.
Having someone in your immediate family who is afflicted with heart disease or diabetes is not the only genetic risk factor that might affect you. Other characteristics, like your ethnicity, may as well contribute to the risk. For example, type 2 diabetes and heart disease are most common among American Indians and African Americans. For both heart disease and diabetes, even the presence of these diseases in your immediate family may be pointing towards the need for preventative measures. Although you cannot prevent every case, you can take steps towards increasing your health which can, in turn, decrease your chances of developing the disease
Paving the Way for a Healthier Future
Whether your genetics may play a role in your heart disease or diabetes risk or not, you can always take steps that promote good health. Eating high cholesterol and fat diets, smoking, or having little to no physical activity can lead to heart disease. This kind of lifestyle may also increase your chances of developing diabetes. In order to fight these diseases, start by making changes to your lifestyle. You can do this by eating a balanced diet that includes lean proteins like turkey and chicken or fatty-acid-rich fish, along with colourful vegetables and whole grains. Also, make it a point to drink around 1.5 litres of water each day.
In addition to your new and improved diet, you must also add some sort of physical activity into your routine. Whether you choose a brisk walk or gym workout or a vigorous home workout or bike ride through your neighbourhood, getting your muscles moving and your heart pumping can benefit the health of your entire body. This can also have a positive impact on your cholesterol and blood pressure levels. Initially, it’s advised that you start slowly, and later work your way up to around 150-180 minutes of activity a week. When abstinence from alcohol and cigarettes is paired with a healthy meal plan, you can greatly reduce your risks of heart disease and diabetes!
Prevent Heart Disease and Diabetes With the Help of Our Specialists
At 1 Health Medical Centre, we provide a wide range of diagnostic testing services to determine the functioning and health of your lungs and heart. If you are observing some notable issues in your personal health, or have a family history of heart disease or diabetes, we can help. With general blood work, exercise and stress tests, screening, and more, we can diagnose various conditions and determine if intervention or medication is needed. We may also recommend the use of ultrasound and imaging to help in spotting any issues with blood flow in the arteries, heart, veins, or any other blockages based on our observations.
You can book an appointment with us today to get state-of-the-art cardiovascular care from expert cardiologists at the 1 Health Medical Centre! Our team of experienced professionals like to educate our patients on various heart disease risks and their prevention methods. Let us help you spot warning signs early and work towards a healthier future!
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