Numerous extensive researches and studies have recognized a number of factors responsible for increasing the risk of coronary heart disease. According to those researches, these risk factors are highly associated with it, but the degree of their prevalence is not yet accurately determined, the reason that these factors are just deemed by many as "contributing" causes of the disease.

The contributing causes of are to some degree controllable, modifiable and treatable. However, there are some that can't really be changed in whatever way you may think. They just happen naturally and no one can escape from them. Examples of these natural causes are age, heredity, and sex. Let's talk about these factors one by one.

* Age : Human beings live with an increasing age. As the days go by, their age increase and the more they age, the more chances for the coronary heart disease to occur. This is what many studies have shown. They based their theories mainly on the findings that more than 83 percent of those who die of this disease are 65 or older.

* Hereditary Factors : Coronary heart disease is said to occur as a result of heredity. This means that a person who has a family history is more likely to develop the disease. Simply put, the chances to occur in a person depend largely on the medical history of that person. As what most people have said, CHD runs in the blood.

* Sex : A multitude of researches have found out that men have a greater risk of developing coronary heart disease than women. They even have attacks earlier in life, and although the rate of women who die from CHD after the menopausal is high, it's not as great as men's rate.

So you've read about the causes of coronary heart disease that can't be altered or changed. Let us now take a look at the causes that CAN be modified and treated.

* Smoking : Cigarette smoking has long been considered as one of the biggest contributing causes. It is said that those who smoke are likely to die from sudden cardiac death for about twice the risk of nonsmokers. This is the reason basically that people are strongly advised to quit smoking.

* High Cholesterol Level : When the level of cholesterol in the body increase, the greater the chances of CHD to develop. This may even lead to high blood pressure, further causing CHD to occur. And, an uncontrolled level of cholesterol may lead to obesity, which is but one of the biggest causes.

* Inactive Lifestyle : This is but another huge factor causing CHD to occur and develop into something chronic. So, people who have greater risks of developing coronary heart disease are advised to take regular exercise, which can help increase the flow of blood and oxygen to the body. It can even strengthen the heart contractions, allowing your heart to pump more blood without much effort.

So those are basically the major causes of coronary heart disease. It is wise to note and understand them to easily identify the best treatment. And, if you want heart disease to keep his distance from you, then do something to change the modifiable causes. Make your heart healthy.