Research Assessment 9

Date: ​November 22, 2019

Subject:​ Strategies to Prevent Heart Disease

Source:

Mayo Clinic Staff. “Top Strategies to Prevent Heart Disease.” ​Mayo Clinic​, Mayo Foundation
for Medical Education and Research, 26 Oct. 2019,
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heart-disease/in-depth/heart-disease-prev
ention/art-20046502.

Assessment:

From the article “Strategies to Prevent Heart Disease,” I learned about the critical issues

and symptoms that can lead to an increased risk of heart disease. Firstly, I learned that smoking a

wœnd the use of tobacco can significantly increase a person’s chance of contracting heart

disease. This is because the chemicals in tobacco are harmful to the functioning of the heart and

cigarette smoke reduces the oxygen in one’s blood, making the heart work harder. Furthermore,

physical activity and exercise has a major impact on the health of one’s heart. It is recommended

for all individuals to consistently work out so they can keep their hearts healthy. In the same

manner, maintaining a healthy diet has significant importance on the health of an individual. It is

important to eat foods with low fat, whole grains, and fruits and vegetables. It is also important

to reduce salt and sugar intake, which makes the Mediterranean diet very beneficial to one’s

health. Similarily, it is beneficial to sustain a healthy weight, which can be determined by

calculating one’s body mass index (BMI). The BMI scale takes height and weight into

consideration to determine a healthy weight specifically for each individual. Surprisingly, sleep

and stress play a major role in the risk of contracting heart disease. It is important to get the
proper amount of sleep each night and utilize proper stress-coping mechanisms that will not have

adverse effects on one’s health. All of these factors can result in a decline and detriment to an

individual's blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and risk of contracting diabetes two. These factors

have a direct influence on whether someone will contract heart disease or not.

I found the information in this article surprising because I did not know that there were

numerous and a variety of risk factors that determined if a person had heart disease or not. I was

especially surprised as to how sleep apnea and the amount of sleep an individual received had

had an effect. How does sleep apnea strain the heart? Previously, I thought that sleep did not

have a major effect on a person’s heart health. A lot of the other information about how these

risk factors effect other conditions that can lead to heart disease is information that I already had

a basis of knowledge for. Although, I questioned to what extent will these lifestyle changes help?

However, this article provided me more in-depth information and provided me the foundational

knowledge I need to know about heart disease.

This article will help me on my ISM journey by providing me the supporting and

foundational information I need on my topic. I also believe that it will help me with my Original

Work Project because I now have a better idea of the kind of information that I want to educate

the general public on. Furthermore, this article will help me in my career by providing me basic

essential knowledge that I will inevitably have to utilize in the future. Finally, this article will

help me in my life by influencing me to implement the positive lifestyle changes discussed. This

includes getting more sleep, reducing stress, and exercising more. Educating the public and

remaining conscious of one’s health will lead to an insurmountable amount of benefits in the

future.