The causes of hardening of the arteries are broad ranging.
Some causes can be managed while other cannot.
Nevertheless, by knowing the players in the game of hardening of the arteries, and making the appropriate substitutions, you will be giving yourself the best chance of winning the game against both artery and heart disease.
First let's look at the causes of hardening of the arteries that cannot be changed.
The big four in this area are age, sex, heredity, and race.
Advancing age may not necessarily cause artery disease but what we do know is that the risk of heart disease increase with age.
Up until the age of 60 men are more likely to fall prey to a heart attack triggered by hardening of the arteries.
After that age the risk for both men and women is about equal.
Another factor to consider with age is that the heart muscle itself weakens as one grows older, only possessing half of its resting pumping power by the age of 80.
So one could easily make the assumption that unless arterial plaque is reduced the heart may not be able to effectively handle its workload thus leading to a coronary event.
On the other hand if arterial hardening and blockage is advancing with age along with a weakening heart muscle a poor outcome seems inevitable.
Another one of the causes of hardening of the arteries that cannot be changed is heredity.
Having a close relative who has had heart disease or stroke at a relatively young age (bad genes, familial hypercholesterolemia) is a serious concern to your heart and artery health and should be discussed with your doctor.
And lastly race: While no race seems immune to hardening of the arteries African Americans have an excessive and early degree of high blood pressure, leading to premature stroke, heart attack, congestive heart failure, all of which are linked to hardening of the arteries.
Causes of hardening of the arteries that can be managed According to the American Medical Association the principle controllable risk factor for hardening of the arteries is smoking.
Tobacco use increases the risk for depositing fatty materials in the arteries and increases the likelihood of heart attack and sudden death.
High blood pressure is another dangerous culprit we can do something about.
High blood pressure damages the heart and contributes to hardening of the arteries.
It also puts more pressure on the heart causing it to wear out sooner rather than later.
The combination of smoking and high blood pressure is a deadly one, and should be avoided at all costs.
Another cause of hardening of the arteries is diabetes.
Statistics tell us that men with diabetes mellitus are twice as likely to have coronary artery disease, while women are five times as likely.
Obesity is running rampant in many countries including the United States.
Some experts believe this factor alone may eventually undo the gains made against heart and artery disease over the last ten years.
Being as little as 20 percent overweight increases blood cholesterol levels, ramps up blood pressure readings, and contributes to inactivity, which is another risk factor.
The last of our causes of hardening of the arteries is a high cholesterol, high fat diet.
Research suggests that a diet consisting of over 15 percent saturated fat and over 35 percent total fat will lead to arterial plaque accumulation and artery disease in most people.
The challenge of eating a low fat diet has prompted many to consider a natural cholesterol reduction supplement to help them achieve their cholesterol goals.