Up to 66% of all heart attacks cause sudden death and essentially until now the symptoms have not been detectable by standard medical tests, like stress tests and angiograms. These tests measure just how clogged up your heart’s arteries are but these two particular tests may only help predict about 15% of all potential heart attacks.
Sudden death heart attacks too often strike people who are considered to be healthy or “a picture of health” and whose arteries are not determined to be clogged up at all. Then why are they candidates to possibly suddenly drop dead of a heart attack? It seems that artery clogging “plaque” can also buildup and inflame your heart’s artery “walls” and burst. When the artery wall bursts, an irreversible sudden death heart attack may occur.
Medical tests are just now being researched and developed so someday everyone may be able to see if they are a candidate for a sudden death heart attack. Until then consult your physician about possibly taking a statin drug which may keep plaque from building up in your heart’s artery walls.
Here’s something else to consider. Sudden, strenuous exercise raises your risk of heart attack significantly, especially for those who do not work out regularly. Weekend athletes involved in heavy exertion may experience a 100% increase in the risk that a sudden, strenuous workout may bring on a heart attack. For those who work out several times a week the risk may only be about 2% more. However, for the “couch potato” who never really exercises the risk jumps to 9000%.
Moderate levels of exercise for an extended period of time actually burns more fat than a high intensity level of exercise for a short period of time which ends up burning less fat. For fat to burn off it needs oxygen. High intensity aerobics or other intense levels of exercise for shorter periods of time use much less oxygen so you burn less fat.
Have a heart attack at a gym or fitness center and they may not have an emergency response plan to deal with it and the fitness instructors or trainers there may have no certification in basic life support. You may find the same thing on cruise ships out on the high seas. Fitness centers may also not screen their members for symptoms or history of heart disease.
A heavy meal may quadruple your risk of a heart attack. A heavy meal may temporarily raise your blood pressure which may contribute to a rupture of the cholesterol-filled plaque in your heart’s artery wall if the artery walls are clogged. A heavy meal may also raise your insulin levels which may make your coronary arteries less relaxed which could possibly contribute to a heart attack in some cases.
SUPPLEMENTAL SOURCES: NUTRITION ACTION HEALTHLETTER MAY 2001 and ABC TV 20/20 JANUARY 21ST 2000 and FT. LAUDERDALE SUN SENTINEL NEWSPAPER AUGUST 5TH 2001