Which weighs more in preventing heart illnesses, healthy diet or exercise? Part 1

In my recent post for @steemph entitled " Atherosclerosis and heart attacks", I was asked this so I will try to answer with what I know, based from my experience as a cardiac nurse. Any further queries that warrant  more input from a medical practitioner maybe necessary or further research maybe required.

Healthy diet or exercise

Both are equally important in their roles in heart disease prevention, but what I can do is to emphasise the effects if exercise is not adhered to or we over-indulged in not so healthy diets. Throughout the years, there have been a lot of research done to find the factors that predisposes people to Coronary Heart Disease (CHD).

Disclaimer: image from betterlivingwithreiki.com

HEALTHY DIET

   High Cholesterol

Our bodies already make its' own cholesterol and coupled that with the cholesterol we get from our diets, the possibility of us exceeding the normal levels is constant. The good thing is, there is a good and a bad cholesterol, namely the high-density (HDL) and the low-density lipoproteins (LDL). The bad one is the LDL who carries the cholesterol in the bloodstream that can then attach themselves to the linings of the arterial walls, predisposing individuals to atherosclerosis. Chronically from age 15, this condition can start, and as we age, this then can lead to a disease becoming a factor in CHD. Everyone is affected, but with healthy diet and other factors, it can be delayed.

     Diabetes Mellitus (DM)

In adulthood, a type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM) can be a result of a chronic intake of high carbohydrates and sugary food. The mechanisms and pathophysiology I will not tackle here, only an overview. Excluding the type I DM that the young population tend to get, DM can also be inherited, its' manifestations varying from each individual.

Just like cholesterol, our body cells need sugar to function. Acutely at high levels, it is deadly. Chronically, abnormal levels in the bloodstream can damage the arterial walls by forming unwanted debris, similar to cholesterol.

In  my experience, glucose preparations like infusions are sticky in consistency, perhaps similar to a glass of water full of sugar. Mixed with blood, the flow will not be easy compared to plain water. 

     Salty food and Hypertension

The kidneys pulls extra fluid from the bloodstream then extract them from the body. But as salt absorbs more water, high salt intake puts strain to the kidneys in its' function, so a good balance is necessary. Overtime, this strain will affect the blood pressure where the heart exerts more pressure leading to Hypertension.

This develops overtime, the degree varies with each individual. 

     Obesity

Anyone who is higher than 20% or more in their body weight is obese. I am not saying that everyone with this condition have unhealthy habits in their diet, some people do gain weight significantly regardless of watching what they eat. But for the purpose of this post, i am focusing on those who are exempted to this, people who like me doesn't care about tomorrow.

Occasionally. Let me just say that, obesity, together with other factors, predisposes CHD and other medical conditions.

These are just a few risk factors in CHD, where most of its' origins are from our eating habits, developing overtime. 

In Part 2, I will be talking about Exercise and Coronary Heart Disease, see which one have more weight in preventing heart illnesses, healthy diet or exercise? 

https://www.healthline.com/health/cholesterol-and-heart-disease

http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/HealthyLiving/WeightManagement/Obesity/Obesity-Information_UCM_307908_Article.jsp#