5. Diabetes
As you’ve probably noticed by now, diabetes is a common risk factor for a number of serious diseases, including heart disease. Characterized by a struggle to maintain proper glycemic balance, diabetes comes in two forms: type 1 diabetes (those genetically predisposed to the disease) and the considerably more common type 2 diabetes (those who develop diabetes because of a mix of improper diet, exercise, and perhaps other genetic factors). The primary concern for diabetics and pre-diabetics as it relates to developing heart disease is that high blood sugar can lead to the development of plaque in the arteries over time, making it difficult for blood to flow throughout your body.
The intriguing news, though, for the 25.3 million people who have diabetes and 79 million who are pre-diabetic, is that a new class of diabetes treatment has made its way to U.S. markets that could revolutionize type 2 diabetes care. The drug, Invokana, which is made by Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ), is a new class of diabetes drug known as an SGLT-2 inhibitor. Rather than working in the pancreas or liver, as its preceding diabetes medications have done for more than a decade, Invokana works in the kidneys to block glucose absorption and allow the patient expel excess glucose in their urine. Furthermore, Invokana was shown to have the added benefit of lowering systolic blood pressure and inducing weight loss in patients.
6. Obesity
Like diabetes, being overweight or obese goes hand-in-hand with increase your risk of developing a number of diseases, including heart disease. As I highlighted in June, cardiovascular diseases (i.e., heart disease) is the second-most common disease directly caused by obesity. While carrying around extra weight does add to the burden of your heart to pump blood throughout your body, it’s the exacerbating circumstances that are the bigger worry here. Diabetes is the No. 1 disease caused by obesity, and, as we just saw, it’s one of the primary risk factors for developing heart disease. Obesity is also a contributing factor to higher cholesterol and blood pressure levels in many instances.
Although they’ve yet to really see sales get off the ground, chronic weight-management drugmakers such as Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:ARNA) with Belviq and VIVUS, Inc. (NASDAQ:VVUS) with Qsymia have an opportunity to shine. As I’ve stated previously, Qsymia presented the better overall weight-loss percentage in clinical trials, but Belviq had the more favorable safety profile, so it’s really anyone’s guess which drug will lead the pack. Ultimately, it may not matter, as the obesity epidemic should easily accommodate both drugs and perhaps even more competitors down the road.
7. Lack of proper diet
In case you haven’t heard it 100 times before, what you eat does matter! Obviously, genetic traits predispose some people to certain risk factors of heart disease no matter how healthfully they eat. But for the remainder of us, foods that are high in saturated fat, salt, or cholesterol can, over time, raise our cholesterol level or blood pressure, and/or induce plaque to build up in our arteries. Alcohol represents another risk factor that has the potential to add weight and increase blood pressure if used on a regular basis. The obvious solution here is to eat as balanced a diet, complete with fruits and vegetables, as is possible, and if you choose to drink, to do it in moderation.
