5 Crucial Ways To Avoid A Cardiac Event For Firefighters- Part 2

In this series I’m explaining the 5 most important things firefighters must do to avoid suffering a fatal cardiac event; because heart attack is still the leading cause of death in the fire service and these events are completely preventable. If you missed the first article, check it out here.

Be A Healthy Weight

One very important thing to do (if you need to; and be honest, most adults do) is lose weight.

Many people desire to lose weight simply to look better. But did you know that shedding only a few pounds can dramatically reduce your risk of having a heart attack? Here are all the ways that happens:

As I discussed in the first article in this series, obesity causes inflammation in the body. Systemic inflammation is believed to majorly contribute to the progression of heart disease. Abdominal obesity specifically is very strongly associated with a higher risk of heart disease and heart attack since excess fat is being stored right near the chest.

Losing weight is also very effective at reducing your cholesterol. You may not think your numbers are a big deal but research shows that firefighters who have high cholesterol are 4.4 times more likely to die of a heart attack on duty.

Greatest Risk Factor is Being Overweight

Being overweight is also the single greatest risk factor for developing both hypertension and type II diabetes. Firefighters who have high blood pressure are 12 times more likely to die of a duty related heart attack than firefighters with normal blood pressure; and those who have diabetes increase their risk by 10 times.

Although there are other factors that contribute to these conditions, if you have or are at risk for either, you should know that weight loss is the first line of defense against both hypertension and type II diabetes. And for the latter, preventing it is much easier than treating it. Once diabetes is fully developed, there is no reversing it.

Research shows that, independent of all these risk factors (hypertension, poor cholesterol and diabetes), being obese increases firefighters’ risk of suffering a fatal heart attack on duty 2.2 times. If you possess these risk factors in addition to being overweight, then the risk compounds.

Keep reading over the coming weeks to learn the #1 most important thing firefighters must do to avoid a heart attack.

Read Part 3 Here  (When Released)