Heart disease risk factors are often ignored by many. And with deadly consequences. In this article, we will explore some of the statistics surrounding heart disease with the main focus on the multiple and sometimes complicated causes of heart disease.

Around the world, heart disease continues to be one of the largest increasing causes of death. In the United States, death from cardiac-related diseases and complications continues to be the number 1 killer of adults. And women are number one on this list. This despite an aggressive campaign by the medical community and US Government alike, to educate people about heart disease risk factors.

Causes of cardiac or in more layman terms "heart" disease are many. Often, they are complex as well. For the purpose of today’s article, we will focus on a few key factors identified as major contributors.

According to the National Institutes For Health, the following heart disease risk factors stood out the most:

High blood pressure
High blood cholesterol
Diabetes
Smoking
Being overweight
Being physically inactive
Having a family history of early heart disease
Age (55 or older for women)

Of those factors listed above, there are some that can be changed and some that can not. We will further explore those risk factors and which groups of people are affected the most by each. Some heart disease risk factors, such as age and family history of early heart disease, can’t be changed. For women, age becomes a risk factor at 55. After menopause, women are more likely to get heart disease, in part because their body’s production of estrogen drops. Women who have gone through early menopause, either naturally or because they have had a hysterectomy, are two times as likely to develop heart disease as women of the same age who have not yet gone through menopause. Another reason for the increasing risk is that middle age is a time when women tend to develop risk factors for heart disease. Family history of early heart disease is another risk factor that can’t be changed. If your father or brother had a heart attack before age 55, or if your mother or sister had one before age 65, you are more likely to get heart disease yourself.

While certain risk factors cannot be changed, it is important to realize that you do have control over many others. Regardless of your age, background, or health status, you can lower your risk of heart disease and it doesn’t have to be complicated. Protecting your heart can be as simple as taking a brisk walk, whipping up a good vegetable soup, or getting the support you need to maintain a healthy weight.

Some women believe that doing just one healthy thing will take care of all of their heart disease risk factors. For example, they may think that if they walk or swim regularly, they can still smoke and stay fairly healthy. Wrong! To protect your heart, it is vital to make changes that address each risk factor you have. You can make the changes gradually, one at a time. But making them is very important. Other women may wonder: If I have just one risk factor for heart disease say, I’m overweight or I have high blood cholesterol aren’t I more or less "safe"?

Absolutely not. Each risk factor greatly increases a woman’s chance of developing heart disease. But having more than one risk factor is especially serious, because risk factors tend to "gang up" and worsen each other’s effects. So, the message is clear: Every woman needs to take her heart disease risk factors seriously and take action now to reduce that risk.

Men are also affected by cardiac disease and their risk factors pretty much mirror women’s with the exception of the hormonal changes that affect women. Often men say they have no time for exercise and really do not address the heart disease risk factors as they should. It is almost as if they are simply in denial about the very things that they are doing now, that will lead to heart attack and stroke later in life.

Heart disease risk factors should be taken seriously by all, whether male or female. The wonderful thing about identifying your own risk factors is that you are taking the first step in lessening the chances of developing cardiovascular disease. Actually following through with an action plan is the next.