What is Heart Disease and Cardiovascular Disease? Often cardiovascular disease is referred to as heart disease or coronary artery disease. Cardiovascular disease encompasses many organs and the body’s vasculature system that affect the lungs, brain, kidneys or other organs. This term may refer to one or more diseases. What Are Common Forms of Cardiovascular Disease? Coronary artery disease Congestive heart failure Peripheral artery disease Stroke Arrhythmia High Blood Pressure What Causes Heart Disease? Although not all is known about how heart disease starts, we do understand that it can result from internal pressures against the coronary walls that stimulate plaque and lead to narrowing of the vessels. This process is often called atherosclerosis and can be affected by genetic and environmental factors contributing to the overall outcome. Within our arteries, this plaque can build up over time based on multiple factors and cause our arteries to become clogged and walls to stiffen, inhibiting blood flow. As a result, our body organs can be compromised and negatively affected. Atherosclerosis is the most common cause of heart disease and you can greatly increase your risks by eating unhealthy diets, smoking, lack of exercise, sedentary lifestyle, and becoming overweight. How We Treat Cardiovascular Disease The goals in managing cardiovascular disease are to establish a healthy eating pattern, maintain an appropriate body weight and sustain desirable blood pressure and cholesterol profiles. With a registered dietician you can feel confident that you are receiving the right advice and specialized plan for healthier food choices. We can work closely with your physician or other health providers to achieve optimum results to help you lower your risks of cardiovascular and heart disease. SO Nutrition can teach you how to manage your cholesterol intake (good fats vs. bad fats) and comfortably increase your daily fiber. To get started on the path to better health, give us a call at (281) 684-4733 or fill out our form below.