Heart attacks are a serious health problem that causes the most deaths worldwide today. Coronary arteries are the main blood vessels that continuously supply blood and oxygen to the heart muscles. When these blood vessels become blocked, blood flow to the heart muscles stops completely and the cells start to die. This is scientifically called myocardial infarction / heart attack. Here are the 5 main scientific reasons behind heart attacks:
Atherosclerosis: The most important scientific cause of heart attacks is atherosclerosis. When the bad cholesterol (LDL) and triglycerides in the blood increase excessively due to the wrong foods we eat, they accumulate on the inner walls of the coronary blood vessels and form ‘plaque’. Over the years, this fat accumulates, narrows the blood vessels and blocks blood flow.
Blood clot (Thrombus / Blood Clot): When the layer of fat (Plaque) that forms in the blood vessels suddenly ruptures or cracks in it, the body sends platelets to heal the wound there. Through this process, a blood clot (Blood Clot) is suddenly formed there and it completely closes the blood vessel 100%. This causes a severe heart attack within seconds.
High blood pressure and diabetes: In people with chronic high blood pressure (High BP), blood flows under severe pressure. This weakens the walls of blood vessels and increases the risk of fat accumulation. In addition, in people with diabetes, excess glucose in the blood causes the blood vessels to leak from the inside and increases the risk of heart attack by 3 to 4 times.
Smoking & Alcohol: Nicotine and carbon monoxide that enter the body when smoking cause rapid narrowing of blood vessels (vasoconstriction). This increases heart rate and blood pressure. Smoking also increases the risk of blood clotting. Excessive alcohol consumption also weakens the heart muscle.
Chronic stress and a sedentary lifestyle: In people with chronic severe mental stress, the body releases large amounts of the hormones cortisol and adrenaline. This can cause blood pressure to rise rapidly. In addition, physical inactivity, obesity, and lack of sleep, which are common in IT workers, are also important factors that damage heart health. This risk increases if someone in your family has had a heart attack at a young age.
