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Cardiovascular health a concern among students
Novelist Edward Bulwer-Lytton once said, "A good heart is better than all the heads in the world."
In 1964, President Lyndon Johnson proclaimed February as National Heart Month, a celebration of the 10-ounce, fist-size pump that not only runs the body, but energizes the spirit and soul as well.
Most college students may be thinking about what to do for their sweetheart for Valentine's Day and not their own health.
According to the American Heart Association (AHA), 4.3 percent of college students between the ages of 20 and 24 have some form of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and should begin getting screened at an early age to help prevent a first heart attack or stroke.
Cardiovascular disease is the number one killer of Americans, claiming 945,836 lives in 2000. One form of CVD is coronary artery disease (CAD), which is the hardening of bi-products or cholesterol. If a person has CAD, their heart does not get the blood and oxygen it would need to work like it should.
CAD can lead to serious health problems, including angina (pain or pressure in the chest and heart attacks). Jaw pain, stress, an upset stomach and stress are other factors as well.
Another form of CVD is the blockage in arteries called valvular heart disease (VHD), in which the four valves of the heart become non-functional and the blood does not get transferred around the heart, making the heart less efficient.
"Poor diet, lack of exercise and smoking results in these diseases," said Scott Farmer, exercise physiologist for the St. Cloud Hospital. "The result of environmental conditions can also be a factor."
CVD's are more common in men during their younger years and post-menopausal women.
"Women that have higher levels of estrogen are more protected (from a CVD)," Farmer said. "But women can get CVD's more than men."
There are many ways to get checked for CVD, but the most cost-effective way is a stress test. An individual walks on a treadmill and is screened to see how their heart muscles function as they exercise. It can be used to diagnose chest pain, evaluate the health of arteries and the heart, determine responses to medications or fitness for an exercise program or the advisability or success of bypass surgery.
"The heart muscle will get symptoms or when the blood is not getting to certain areas of the body (during the test)," Farmer said.
Other screenings include regular blood pressure checks (120 over 80 is considered normal), body mass index, waist circumference and pulse (70 to 80 per minute is considered normal) at least every two years and cholesterol profile with glucose testing every five years, beginning at age 20.
To prevent CVD, the AHA recommends students spend extra time evaluating what they are doing on a daily basis and making good nutrition choices.
"Soy, less red meats, fish from the sea, white breads and pastas, and less saturated fats substituted for carbohydrates are good for the heart," Farmer said. "Getting the proper exercise, such as biking, weight-lifting activities and walking can also help."
Farmer also suggests to college students to avoid binge-drinking behavior.
"Binging causes the heart beat pulses to beat rapidly and may cause damage to the heart," Farmer said.
"I am a smoker and trying to quit so I don't increase my risk of a disease," said Julie Fisher, third year student.
To get screened for a CVD, Farmer suggests contacting your primary doctor.
For more information on cardiovascular disease, visit www.americanheart.org.
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