Cardiovascular disease in Australia cardiovascular disease. High blood pressure (hypertension) causes stress to the heart and its function that leads to heart disease. Males experience heart disease caused by hypertension than women. One in five Australians with high blood pressure suffers from heart disease (Nichols, 2014). A key step to prevent any type of heart disease is addressing the risk factors. Such as not smoking or use of drugs, regular exercising, have healthy diet, maintain healthy weight and have regular health screening to check up on blood pressure. These lifestyle changes reduces the risk of developing heart disease (Wood & Gordon, 2011). Prescribed medications
Cardiovascular disease dietary guidelines recommend a reduction in saturated fat. However, there are some questions around the effect of saturated fat on cardiovascular disease in the medical literature. Reviews from 2014 and 2015 did not find evidence of harm from saturated fats. A 2012 Cochrane review found suggestive evidence of a small benefit from replacing dietary saturated fat by unsaturated fat. A 2013 meta analysis concludes that substitution with omega 6 linoleic acid (a type of unsaturated fat) may increase cardiovascular risk. Replacement of saturated fats with carbohydrates does not change or may increase risk. Benefits from replacement with polyunsaturated fat appears