Lifestyle choices such as inactivity and poor diet increase the risk of cardiovascular disease by primarily affecting which part of the circulatory system?

Lifestyle choices such as inactivity and poor diet increase the risk of cardiovascular disease by primarily affecting which part of the circulatory system?

• A. Heart
• B. Liver
• C. Lungs
• D. Kidneys

Answer: (A)

The main idea is that lifestyle choices like inactivity and a poor diet raise cardiovascular risk by stressing the heart and its blood supply. When you’re not active, the heart must pump blood more forcefully over time and blood pressure often rises. A diet high in saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium promotes plaque buildup in the arteries (atherosclerosis) and can further raise blood pressure. These changes narrow the arteries that feed the heart and force it to work harder, increasing the chance of heart disease and heart attack. So, the part of the circulatory system most directly affected is the heart itself, since its function is what’s most immediately compromised by these processes. (Lungs, kidneys, and liver play important roles in circulation and metabolism, but the direct target of these risk factors in cardiovascular disease is the heart.)

The main idea is that lifestyle choices like inactivity and a poor diet raise cardiovascular risk by stressing the heart and its blood supply. When you’re not active, the heart must pump blood more forcefully over time and blood pressure often rises. A diet high in saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium promotes plaque buildup in the arteries (atherosclerosis) and can further raise blood pressure. These changes narrow the arteries that feed the heart and force it to work harder, increasing the chance of heart disease and heart attack. So, the part of the circulatory system most directly affected is the heart itself, since its function is what’s most immediately compromised by these processes. (Lungs, kidneys, and liver play important roles in circulation and metabolism, but the direct target of these risk factors in cardiovascular disease is the heart.)