Pfizer Inc. (PFE), Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK), Johnson & Johnson (JNJ): Top Risk Factors for Heart Disease

8. Family history
As I just noted, some people are genetically predisposed to a higher chance of developing the risk factors associated with heart disease. The National Institutes of Health points out that your risk factor of developing heart disease jumps if you have a father or brother who developed heart disease before age 55, or a mother or sister with heart disease before age 65. However, to clarify, the NIH also makes sure to note that your chance of developing heart disease is also predicated on lifestyle choices exhibited by those individuals which may have included smoking, an inactive lifestyle, drinking alcohol, or other factors that weren’t well cared for.

9. Lifestyle choices
Speaking of lifestyle choices, people who choose to smoke and drink alcohol put themselves at a significantly higher risk of developing heart disease than those who don’t. Specifically, nicotine, which is found in cigarettes, is a vasoconstrictor (blood vessel constrictor), and the carbon monoxide found in cigarettes can, over time, damage the inner lining of blood vessels, giving smokers a higher chance of having a heart attack than non-smokers.

A sedentary lifestyle is also a mitigating risk factor. Those who live a non-active lifestyle are more prone to weight gain and developing plaque buildup and atherosclerosis in their blood vessels.

10. Poor hygiene
Finally, failing to regularly wash your hands, brush your teeth, and do all of those unpleasant tasks your parents beseeched you to do as a kid could leave you at a higher risk of developing a heart infection, especially if you have a genetic heart condition or have already had a heart attack.

Now that you have a better understanding of the mitigating risk factors for heart disease, hopefully you can make the lifestyle changes necessary to reduce your risk of developing this disease. Along the way we also reviewed some potential investing ideas that could ultimately reduce your financial stress and improve your overall heart health. Overall, I’d call that a win-win kind of day!

The article The Top 10 Risk Factors for Heart Disease originally appeared on Fool.com and is written by Sean Williams.

Fool contributor Sean Williams has no material interest in any companies mentioned in this article. You can follow him on CAPS under the screen name TMFUltraLong, track every pick he makes under the screen name TrackUltraLong, and check him out on Twitter, where he goes by the handle @TMFUltraLong.The Motley Fool owns shares of, and recommends Johnson & Johnson.

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