Lifestyle diseases

• Coronary heart disease - results from atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries, which supply the heart with oxygenated blood. The reduction in blood flow and oxygen supply limits the cardiac muscles ability to respire an an angina or heart attack may occur.
• Coronary vascular disease - A term for all diseases of the heart and blood circulation
• What is Atherosclerosis?

  The buildup of fatty deposits that form a hard plaque on the arterial walls. This progressively narrows the lumen, reduces the space for blood flow and increases the likelihood of blood clots forming. Arterial walls become thick and harden, reducing their ability to vasodilate and constrict to regulate blood pressure. Overtime, hypertension can occur and this is the first sign of the disease.
• what are heart attacks?

  A piece of fatty plaque called atheroma breaks away from an arterial wall causing a blockage in the coronary artery cutting off oxygenated blood flow to an area of cardiac muscle, causing the death of cells and permanent damage.
• What are strokes?

  Ischaemic - where blood supply is stopped because of a blood clot

  Hemorrhagic - where a weakened blood vessel supply the brain bursts.
• Effects of training on cardiovascular system to prevent disease:

  • Reduces the levels of blood lipids (fats) and overall cholesterol and increase the proportion of HDL to LDL cholesterol; this will slow down the development of atherosclerosis.
  • Prevent the hardening and loss of elasticity in the arterial walls due to regular vasoconstriction and dilation, this will slow the development of atherosclerosis & hypertension.
  • Decreases blood viscosity and the resistance to blood flow, this will help prevent blood clots and reduce blood pressure.
• Effects of training on cardiovascular system to prevent disease:

  • Decreases body fat & help to manage weight, which will reduce strain placed on the heart
  • Increases blood flow and oxygen transportation to the muscle cells, making it easier to perform exercise and reduce the onset of fatigue, this will reduce the strain placed on the heart and lower blood pressure.
  • cardiac hypertrophy, increased ventricular contractility and stroke volume, which increases efficiency of heat, resting heart rate lowers and strain on heart is reduced , this will lower blood pressure
• respiratory disease:

  • disease of the airway or alveoli
  • causes breathing difficulties
  • 3 people per day die from an asthma attack
  • 30,000 people die per year of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
• Asthma - constriction of bronchial airways and inflammation of the mucous membrane which restricts the airways and limits breathing
• Asthma

  symptoms: shortness of breath, wheezing and coughing

  response to drying of the airway membranes and presence of an allergen

  can be exercise-enduced when the air is cold and dry

  e.g winter sports and swimming due to pollutants in the water

  use of inhalers, warm ups and respiratory muscle training means athletes are no longer forced to not perform
• Chromic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) - refers to several conditions of the lungs where airways become inflamed and narrow. Overtime the inflammation leads to permanent changes;

  • thickening of the bronchiole wall
  • increased mucus production
  • damage to the alveoli
  • decrease in lung tissue elasticity
• Chromic obstructive pulmonary disease:

  includes severe asthma, chronic bronchitis and emphysema.

  symptoms: persistent coughing, breathing difficulty, regular chest infections, reduced lung capacity.

  leads to an inability to exercise and reducing quality of life
• risk factors of respiratory disease:

  • smoking
  • sedentary lifestyle limits the use of the lower lobes, increasing risk of infection
  • physical activity can prevent the development of respiratory disease and treat some disorders
• effects of training on respiratory disease:

  • increase respiratory muscle strength which decreases respiratory effort and alleviates symptoms of asthma
  • decreased resting and sub-maximal frequency of breathing which decreasing fatigue, making everyday tasks easier
  • maintain full use of lung tissue and elasticity, decreasing the risk of infection associated with COPD
  • increase surface area of alveoli and pulmonary capillaries, maximising efficiency of gaseous exchange
• effects of a warm up on respiratory disease:

  • a warm up of 10-30 minutes at 50-60% of maximum heart rate provides two hours protection against exercise-induced asthma attack
• cardiovascular diseases:

  • atherosclerosis
  • coronary heart disease
  • heart attack
  • stroke