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What is it?
A heart attack is rather less spectacular than portrayed on TV, but it's still a potential killer. You can have one without ever having it diagnosed. It's only when the heart attack causes cardiac arrest that you become unconscious and stop breathing, in which case you need urgent attention. Most heart attacks are relatively well tolerated with modern treatment.
What are the effects?
If your arteries become too narrow or your blood forms a clot, it hampers the flow of blood to your heart. When oxygen, carried in the blood, can't reach the heart, damage is caused to the heart muscle. The severity of the attack depends on how much damage is done. Take an aspirin straight away and seek medical help as soon as possible. Rest is also imperative.
What age group is most affected?
Men are more vulnerable than women. The risk increases as you get older.
Who is it most to hit?
There are high risk factors contributing to your chances of having a heart attack. The more of them apply to you, the more likely you are to suffer heart disease as you get older. The risk factors are smoking, high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure, lack of exercise and obesity.
What are the symptoms?
1. Tightness, pressure or crushing pain in the centre of the chest that may feel like a bad case of indigestion. The pain may spread to the shoulders, arms, neck and jaw. This may last more than 15 minutes and may stop or decrease, then return.
2. You maybe feel sweaty, nauseous, faint or breathless.
3. Your pulse may race
Diet
People who drink one or more cups of black tea a day can reduce their risk of heart attack by 44 percent. Benefits stem from flavonoids, which make blood cells less likely to clot.
Some fats are good, some bad. A rough guideline is that if your fat comes from any animal that didn't swim or cluck before it landed on your plate, avoid it. Fish and fat-free chicken is fine.
A teaspoon of salt a day is the maximum if you want to keep your ticker in shape. Remember that processed foods also contain sodium.
A couple of glasses of Orange Juice a day ca help keep your blood pressure in check. People who eat at least four servings a week of legumes (beans, peas, peanuts) have a 20 percent lower risk of heart disease than those who eat one or less a week.
Smoking is the biggest cause of heart disease. Each cigarette shortens your life by about five-and-a-half minutes. So for each year you smoke, you shave a month of your life.
The bigger the beer belly, the harder your body is working to lug it around. Being overweight puts enormous strain on the heart.
Two to three tots of alcohol a day are the most you should allow yourself Don't bother with vitamin C supplements. The artery walls of healthy guys who take a daily vitamin C supplement thicken twice as fast as those who avoid supplements
Fitness
Men who don't exercise are twice as likely to have a heart attack and three times as likely to die as a result - than men who exercise regularly. At least 30 minutes a day of moderate intensity exercise is needed to keep your clock ticking predictably.