Question: Why do You think heart disease is one of the most common death causes [e.g. in UK, USA]?

Mike Dodd answered on 16 Jun 2011:

Hey Alisha, heart disease is the most common cause of death in the western world because of our diet and amount of exercise. Smoking, fatty food and lack of exercise all add to the risk of getting heart disease. When you eat lots of fatty food and don’t exercise, fat can build up in your blood vessels (veins and arteries) over many years. Your blood vessels become narrow and your blood pressure increases. This can lead to heart pains known as angina. If a piece of the fat breaks off, it causes a blood clot, which will can travel around your body. If it gets stuck in your brain, it creates a stroke. If the clot gets stuck in the heart it causes a heart attack, where oxygen can no longer get to the heart. Another cause of a heart attack is smoking, this again leads to damage to the blood vessels and a build up of fat.

Heart disease is becoming more common in the developing world too, where people have poor nutrition and are smoking more. For more information on heart disease the BHF have a great website. They pay for my PhD too 🙂