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Matters of the heart: A holistic approach

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Table of Contents

  1. Lifestyle influences and modifiable CVD risk factors
  2. The Mediterranean diet
  3. Therapeutic prescribing in cardiometabolic health
  4. Summary

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is one of the most significant health problems in Australia, accounting for one in four of all deaths and claiming one life every 12 minutes.1,2

With increased research and improved knowledge of risk factors, medicines and interventions, the number of people with CVD has decreased over time (declining approximately 80% since the 1980s).1,2 Despite this, there is still much work to be done.

Key highlights

  • CVD accounts for one in four of all deaths in Australia.
  • Both non-modifiable factors (e.g. age, family history and gender) and modifiable factors (e.g. abdominal obesity, tobacco smoking, hypertension, dyslipidaemia and diabetes) influence CVD risk.
  • Nine modifiable risk factors accounted for 90% of the risk of having a first heart attack (see Table 1).
  • Higher vs lower Mediterranean diet adherence was associated with a 24% lower risk of CVD incidence.
  • Oxidative stress and inflammatory processes play a crucial role in the onset and progression of cardiovascular events.
  • Nutritional and herbal medicines with anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties can play a role in treatment.

Factors that affect CVD risk

Multiple factors influence CVD risk, both modifiable (factors that can be changed or controlled) and non-modifiable (factors that cannot be changed).3

Non-modifiable factors include:4,5

  • Age (risk increases significantly with each decade over age 40).
  • Family history (CVD in a first-degree relative is an independent risk factor).
  • Gender (both genders are at risk – significance depends on the presence of other risk factors).

Topics

Diabetes