Skip to Navigation
Print this page Email this page

Other Conditions that Affect Heart Health

Many factors can affect cholesterol and triglyceride levels and thus affect your heart health.

  • Several medicines can worsen cholesterol levels. These include widely used drugs such as thiazide diuretics (a kind of water pill), oral estrogens (such as in birth control pills) and some beta-blockers (a class of blood pressure drugs).


  • Smoking can lower HDL cholesterol levels.


  • Although small amounts of alcohol help HDL cholesterol levels, greater amounts can increase triglycerides.


  • Several illnesses affect cholesterol levels, including liver disease and hypothyroidism (low levels of thyroid hormones).

In addition to unhealthy cholesterol levels, several other conditions raise your risk of heart disease.

  • High levels of a lipoprotein called lipoprotein(a)


  • High blood pressure


  • A family history of heart disease


  • An inactive lifestyle


  • Obesity


  • Smoking


  • High homocysteine levels. Homocysteine is produced when your body digests proteins. You can lower your homocysteine level by avoiding coffee made without a filter (such as French press) and getting plenty of folate and vitamins B-6 and B-12.


  • Infection with chlamydia. The common bacterium Chlamydia pneumoniae causes flulike symptoms and sometimes pneumonia. It appears that chlamydia bacteria can leave the lungs and infect blood vessels, making them more prone to deposits of cholesterol.

In addition, some evidence points to poor blood glucose management and long-term emotional stress as factors that contribute to heart disease. If you have questions about how your cholesterol levels relate to heart disease and diabetes, talk to your doctor. Keep close tabs on new drugs and tips for maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Being proactive can help save your life.



Diabetes Forecast - FREE ISSUE!

Link for Life - Reduce your risk for heart attack and stroke

Find everything you need to know about Diabetes, from A to Z

Take the Diabetes Risk Test

Wedding
Favors
Program --
Donate now!