Causes of coronary artery disease

Coronary artery disease (CAD), usually referred to as heart disease, is the most common type of heart disease among adults in the U.S. It’s also the leading cause of death for both males and females.

But there’s good news: Coronary artery disease is largely preventable. By understanding what causes it, you can make lifestyle changes to help lower your risk. At Advocate Health Care, our cardiologists offer comprehensive care to help prevent or treat coronary artery disease.

What is the most common cause of coronary artery disease?

Most often, atherosclerosis is the root cause of coronary artery disease. The condition occurs when a fatty substance called plaque builds up inside your coronary arteries. Over time, the plaque buildup leads to artery narrowing, which restricts blood flow to your heart.

What types of lifestyles cause coronary artery disease?

Several lifestyle habits can affect how fast plaque builds up in your arteries. The foods you eat, how much you move and how you manage stress all play a role in whether you develop coronary artery disease.

What foods cause coronary artery disease?

Certain foods can increase your risk of plaque buildup. In particular, limit your intake of foods that are high in:

• Saturated fats, a type of dietary fat often solid at room temperature
• Trans fats, solid dietary fats made from liquid oils, such as margarine or shortening
• Sodium, including table salt, prepackaged or processed foods
• Sugar, including desserts, ready-to-eat cereals, sodas, energy drinks and juices

Obesity and physical inactivity

Obesity is defined as excess body fat. When you carry too much body weight, it can place extra stress on your blood vessels, making your heart work harder to pump blood through your body. Obesity is also linked to high cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes, which are all significant risk factors for coronary artery disease.

Staying physically active is one of the best ways to maintain a healthy weight. It can help lower your blood pressure and strengthen your heart. Ideally, aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise, such as walking, biking or swimming, every week.

Smoking, alcohol and drug use

Smoking is the number one cause of preventable death in the U.S. And it’s a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. It constricts your blood vessels, causing your heart to work even harder. E-cigarettes can be just as harmful – recent research has found that vaping raises your risk of a heart attack, coronary artery disease and depression.

Alcohol and drugs can also be major sources of heart damage. Both can weaken and thin your heart muscle and may lead to heart rhythm problems.

Limit your alcohol intake to no more than two drinks daily if you’re male and one drink daily if you’re female. Avoid all illicit drug use. Quitting isn’t easy, but your health care provider can help you create a plan to stop smoking or using drugs or alcohol.

Can stress alone cause coronary artery disease?

While stress alone isn’t considered a root cause of coronary artery disease, chronic stress can increase your overall risk.

Dr. Ajay Baddi, cardiologist with Advocate Heart Institute, explains it this way: “Usually, stress is the trigger – it doesn’t cause a heart attack or heart disease by itself. Stress raises your adrenaline, which, combined with coronary artery disease, can damage your heart.”

What conditions cause coronary artery disease?

Several conditions can increase your risk of coronary artery disease. You may be able to manage these conditions through lifestyle changes. Or your health care provider may prescribe medicines to treat them.

High blood pressure and high cholesterol

Nearly half of all Americans have one of the three major risk factors for coronary artery disease: smoking, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

High blood pressure is often called “the silent killer” because you may have it without experiencing any symptoms. But, over time, high blood pressure weakens your arteries, which further decreases blood flow to your heart.

Cholesterol is the main component in plaque. Your liver naturally produces all the cholesterol you need, but you may consume extra cholesterol in the food you eat. As cholesterol increases in your blood, it can form fatty deposits (plaque) in your arteries. This plaque buildup is the primary cause of coronary artery disease.

Diabetes and insulin resistance

Diabetes is also a major risk factor for coronary heart disease. In diabetes, your body either doesn’t make enough insulin or doesn’t use it correctly. Insulin is the hormone that helps convert sugar into energy. When you have diabetes, sugar builds up in your bloodstream. Over time, high blood sugar can damage your blood vessels and stiffen your heart muscle.

Untreated sleep apnea

Sleep apnea is often associated with high blood pressure, heart arrhythmias and heart failure. Although many people think of sleep apnea as a snoring condition, it’s much more than that.

The most common type of sleep apnea is obstructive sleep apnea, in which your upper airway has trouble staying open when you’re asleep. This leads to temporary pauses in breathing. Each time your airflow stops, your body sends out stress hormones. This pattern can eventually lead to high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease. Understand your risk of sleep apnea.

What are the uncontrollable risk factors for coronary artery disease?

There are some coronary artery disease risk factors you can’t control. If you have uncontrollable risk factors, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll develop heart disease. But it may mean you need more frequent health screenings to look for signs of coronary artery disease.

Family history

If a family member has or had heart disease or another heart condition, it increases your risk for coronary artery disease. Your risk is especially higher if one of your parents or siblings had a heart attack before age 50.

Age and gender

As you get older, your risk of heart disease increases. Adults over 65 are more likely to develop coronary artery disease, especially if they also have other risk factors.

Males also have an overall higher risk of coronary artery disease. For females, the risk significantly increases after menopause.

How can I reduce my risk of developing coronary artery disease?

Knowing your risk factors is the first step in preventing coronary artery disease. Speak with your health care provider about developing a plan to:

• Improve your health habits
• Manage your blood pressure and cholesterol
• Treat any underlying conditions, such as diabetes or sleep apnea

When to schedule a heart scan

If you have several risk factors for heart disease, you may need a heart scan to check your coronary arteries. Heart scans look for plaque buildup and other signs of coronary artery disease.

Advocate Health Care offers quick and inexpensive heart scans to find out if you are at risk of developing coronary artery disease – or if you already have it. This simple test just might save your life. Learn more about our $49 heart scans.