Lifestyle increases risk of cardiovascular disease in young people

In recent years, more and more young people are faced with factors cardiovascular risk which were previously associated only with older people, which are directly influenced by current lifestyle, as suggested by a study recently published by Pedro L. Valenzuela and Adrian Castillo García, researchers from the University of Alcalá, together with researchers from the European University. Madrid and the European University Miguel de Cervantes.

Document published in Spanish Journal of Sports Cardiology, analyzed medical examinations of almost 80,000 young Spaniards aged 18 to 30 years. The results showed that despite their young age, 18% already had some cardiovascular risk factors, including prehypertension or hypertension, prediabetes or diabetes, or hypercholesterolemia. In addition, nearly 45,000 young people who had no cardiovascular risk at baseline were followed short-term for 2 to 5 years, and during this period an additional 2% developed some cardiovascular risk factors .

Researchers note that, speaking of cardiovascular pathology, The focus should be on lifestyle. In this way, they ensure that while some factors such as genetics or environmental factors (such as pollution levels) do have some influence, lifestyle is the “fundamental foundation” on which cardiovascular health is built . In this sense, they highlight that rates of physical inactivity, excess weight and other unhealthy lifestyle factors are rising “without limits”, including among young people. For example, in the United States, the prevalence of obesity among youth has increased over the past decade from 32 to 41%.

Spain

In a study of 80,000 young SpaniardsIt has been noticed that only half are observed physical activity recommendations, and 40% were overweight or obese by age 30. In addition, less than 4 percent can be considered living an “optimal” lifestyle, that is, one that meets all factors (physically active, normal weight – optimal weight for health – non-smoker, drinking less than one drink). alcohol per day and sleep 6 to 9 hours with good quality sleep).

These lifestyle factors have been shown to have high association with presence and the development of cardiovascular risk factors. Thus, those who lived a fully optimal lifestyle had a 38 percent lower risk of developing cardiovascular risk factors in subsequent years, an association largely mediated by body mass index.

In fact, if you combine all the lifestyle factors, A normal weight reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease in the short term – by 39%, with physical activity – by 5%. In contrast, when other lifestyle factors are taken into account, habits such as poor sleep do not seem to have a significant impact, at least in the short term.

Obesity caused by physical inactivity appears earlier

Currently, experts say that we are living “pandemic of obesity and physical inactivity” which has been present since the earliest centuries. This trend, they note, has resulted in cardiovascular disease risk factors previously associated with older people (such as hypertension or diabetes) affecting more and more younger people, which could have “consequences.”
“dramatic” for short- and long-term health.

“Of all the factors the lifestyle we analyzeFactors such as smoking, drinking alcohol, poor sleep and lack of physical activity most increase cardiovascular risk due to being overweight or obese. Physical activity is beneficial in itself, but above all, it is beneficial if you manage to maintain a stable body weight,” said researcher Pedro L. Valenzuela.

For all these reasons, the authors argue that these results highlight the importance of implementing good prevention strategies at both the individual and community levels, and from a very early age, to avoid developing pathologies and “ultimately saving lives”. A strategy based on instilling healthy habits from the first years of life.

Currently, in Spain, every third person dies from cardiovascular diseases, and heart disease continues to be the leading cause of death both worldwide and in our country. Recently, the National Institute of Statistics, in its report on mortality, emphasized that 27.1% of cases are associated with diseases of the circulatory system.