Heart Problems

By Author: Steven Johnson
Total Articles: 494
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The usual reaction when a government health official appears on the television advising people to drink less is for everyone in the bars around our nation to cheer and order another round. No one likes to be told what to do. It's the same when it comes to dieting and exercising more. We're addicted to all the wrong foods and even though we're the most obese country in the world, we don't see any need to change our lifestyles. If we're going to go down in flames, we're going to do it sitting on our usual sofa with a beer in one hand and a burger in the other. So, for all of you of a nervous disposition, now's the time to stop reading because this is another of those warning articles you don't want to read. After all, if we're all going to die, there's no point in worrying about it.

Here's the headline. The medical community is moving to a clear view that if you suffer erectile dysfunction while still young, i.e. less than 45 years-old, this is a warning you are at risk of a stroke or heart attack within five years. To clarify, there's no evidence your penile artery will get blocked before any other artery in your body ...
... so, if you are sitting there feeling confident you are not at risk of a heart attack think again. Just as many men have heart attacks with and without first suffering erectile dysfunction. But, just like the canary in the mine that falls off its perch when there's gas in the diggings, there's a direct link between erectile dysfunction and heart attacks, strokes and a range of other conditions resulting in early death. This is independent of all the other usual indicators like still smoking, drinking excessive amounts of alcohol, having a high blood pressure or being diagnosed with diabetes. Erectile dysfunction is an indicator of cardiovascular disease in its own right. What's the quality of this evidence, you ask. The answer is studies involving 37,000 men. Once you start dealing with this number of people in studies, the results scale up to the general population with a smaller margin for error.

So what do you do about this? There's newish research in the Archives of Internal Medicine showing that using statins to lower cholesterol makes no difference to the risk. What does help is a real change in lifestyle. This is where we get preachy. If you go on a diet with lots of fresh vegetables, fruits, lean meat and fish and exercise more, this helps solve erectile dysfunction and extends life without having to use drugs. Yes, the combination of lifestyle changes, statins and viagra can get you back into sex more quickly and reduce the risk of a heart attack. But here comes the question you have to ask yourself against the background of the recession. Do you really want to pay out hard-earned dollars for Viagra and statins when you can get exactly the same result with just lifestyle changes? Sure, it's tough to stick to a diet. It will be a struggle to get your body moving again in an exercise routine. But it's worth it if it improves your health.