Clogged arteries in the heart mean that the blood vessels that supply blood to the heart are obstructed.
Blood cannot effectively pass through the vessels because of the clog, giving rise to radiating chest pains, feelings of choking, burning sensations on the chest area, cold sweats, nausea, and vomiting.
Clogged arteries are serious; not only can they potentially reduce the quality of life, they can also lead to premature death if not treated early on.
The problem is, it is difficult to detect the presence of clogged arteries early on since they rarely manifest signs and symptoms that would require a medical emergency.
In which case, understanding the nature of the disease would hold much value.
Knowing what causes clogged up arteries and the risk factors would help in the early diagnosis of the disease.
Clogged arteries in the heart result because of an injury within the walls of the arteries.
Because of the injury, blood cannot flow through the arteries as smoothly as it used to, leaving components of it to collect in the arterial walls.
Now these components, which are basically fats, calcium, and protein, do not melt in the arterial walls.
Good if they did, but the fact is, they harden, forming plaque, and it's the plaque that would eventually block the arterial walls.
Going deeper, you might want to find out what causes the injury within the walls in the first place.
Surely, the injury does not happen without a reason.
Indeed there are factors that would contribute to the injury and a lot of these factors relate to how you live your life.
It is true that genetics and age can increase one's predisposition to the development of clogged arteries, but there are factors that you can actually control in order to prevent the injury.
Smoking, for instance, has always been identified as a cause to the damage of arterial walls' interiors, so if you have been smoking 5 packs of cigarettes a day to relieve yourself of stress, you are actually only endangering your heart and your life.
A diet that is mainly composed of fats and sugar is also seen to injury the interior lining of the arterial walls.
So if you haven't been exactly living a healthy life, you should have regular consultations with your doctor.
Laboratory examinations should also be done frequently to monitor elevations in blood sugar and cholesterol levels.
Then of course, it has to be emphasized again and again to choose foods wisely.
Recommended for good health, specifically the health of the heart, are foods that are high in fiber content and Omega-3 Fatty acids.
Fiber has fat-absorbing and cleansing capabilities, and is present in most vegetables (the greener the vegetables, the more nutrients they have).
Omega-3 fatty acids, meanwhile, help to keep the heart healthy, and these you can find in oily fish and nuts.