Risk is More Than A Board Game

We live day to day surrounded by risk, and our brain does a good job (sometimes) triaging that risk. Attention, however, is often focused on the here-and-now and we place long term risk on the shelf for a later conversation. Well, now is the time to talk about long term risk, specifically our long term risk for cardiovascular disease, because heart disease is the second leading cause of death in Canada and about 1 in 12 Canadian adults age 20 and older live with diagnosed heart disease.

So why is it hard to talk about long term risk? Well, it can feel nebulous and difficult to visualize. How are you going to feel in 10, 20, or 30 years? That is hard to say when you are focused on what you are seeing or feeling at this moment. We are experiencing global conflict, gas prices are rising at the pump, is that person really going 30 kph on Deerfoot Trail, and are the Flames going to hold onto their division lead? 

To make the conversation about long term risk of heart disease feel tangible, we can break it up into seven individual elements. These cardiovascular health metrics are a group of health behaviors and conditions that influence our long term risk of developing heart disease, such as a heart attack or ischemic stroke.

These cardiovascular health metrics include: Blood pressure, Blood sugar, Cholesterol, Eating Pattern, Physical Activity, Smoking, and Healthy Weight. 

Almost 0% of people have ideal cardiovascular health! 

Do these health metrics really improve your heart risk? The answer is emphatically yes! Individually each metric has the power to dramatically modify our risk of heart disease. In fact, a group of scientists and doctors analyzed data from a collection of studies and estimated that when each metric is optimized there was a 19% decrease in death due to cardiovascular disease and an 11% decline in the risk of dying due to any cause. So the more metrics you improve, the larger the benefit, consider how improving multiple cardiovascular health factors could enhance your heart health. 

The takeaway: Heart disease can take decades to develop, but addressing risk factors now with diet and lifestyle can greatly improve your heart health and reduce your risk of dying from a heart attack or stroke. Over the next few weeks I will be posting about each metric individually, how they impact Albertans, how they are diagnosed, and steps we can take to improve our heart health. 

Make an appointment and let's discuss your cardiovascular health metrics and decrease your risk of heart disease now. 

#hearthealth #hearthealthblog #healthyheart