Study Material on Biology and Psychology

Biology 1
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Biology 2
Nutrition
Saturated fats
Saturated fats increase cholesterol levels in the blood, which increases the risk of CVD. The
American Heart Association recommends roughly 13 grams of saturated fats per day to
reduce the risk of CVD (AHA, 2015). To lower the amount of Saturated fat intake, one
should replace them with whole grains, vegetables, and fruits.
High carbohydrate diets and heart disease
Research has shown a link between high carbohydrate diets and Diabetes in some people.
This is because carbohydrates lead to elevated levels of glucose in the blood and if not
managed, diabetes ensues. The American Heart Association states that high glucose levels in
blood lead to arrhythmias, which are linked to heart failure and other cardiovascular
conditions (AHA, 2019).
Dietary manipulations for an individual with hypertension
Reduced sodium Intake by avoiding canned and processed foods, using salt free seasonings
and ensuring the salt consumption does not exceed 2300mg in a day. High sodium levels in
the blood affect the ability of water excretion in the kidneys, leading to strain in the blood
vessels which subsequently causes high blood pressure (Bazzano, et al., 2015,7).

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Consumption of foods rich in Omega 3 fatty acids has been found to decrease the pressure of
blood among other cardiovascular benefits (Bazzano, et al., 2015, 5). Patient should increase
their intake of walnuts, Salmon, Herring and flaxseeds.
Psychology
Psychosocial factors for CVD (concentrating on stress and personality).
Depression is one of the factors linked to development of heart disease. Depressed patients
are more likely to practice risky activities like alcohol intake and smoking which increases
risk for heart disease (Ziegelstein, n.a). In addition, feelings of depression and stress increase
risk for abnormal heart rhythms and hypertension. Depression is also associated with low-
grade inflammation, which caused artery clogging and rupture of plaque, it also leads to
release of stress hormones which reduces the response of the heart to the body’s demand for
increased blood flow. It also leads to activation of platelets, which increases risk for
formation of blood clots in the blood stream (Ziegelstein, n.a)
Barriers to Cardiac Rehab and uptake
Some barriers to uptake of Cardiac rehab include limited self-motivation, individual’s
perception of abilities to adhere to cardiac rehab, and old age and lower physical activity
(Evenson & Fleury, 2000, 245). Patient education on the importance of adherence to cardiac
rehab while emphasizing on self-motivation is an intervention with the ability to overcome
these barriers.
Psychological strategies to enhance cardiac rehab
Stress management in patients with cardiovascular disease is bound to increase self-
motivation and physical activity (Davies, et al., 2010, 8). Self-motivation is vital for

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adherence to cardiac rehab. It also reduces the risk of patient’s getting involves in health risky
activities like smoking, drinking and non-adherence to medication.
Education of emotional coping strategies have the ability to improve the patient’s quality of
life (Davies, et al., 2010, 11). Coping strategies that involve physical exercise not only
increase motivation in patients, but also have the ability to reduce blood pressure and
improve emotional well-being
Relative and Absolute Risk.
Relative risk refers to the probability ratio of risk of occurrence of cardiovascular disease in
People exposed to risk factors, versus in people who have not been exposed. individuals,
versus occurrence in non-exposed individuals (Tenny & Hoffman, 2019, 1).
Absolute risk refers to the probability of occurrence of cardiovascular disease in relation to
number of previous occurrences (Tenny & Hoffman, 2019, 1).
The process of global risk assessment for cardiovascular disease involves risk assessment
processes, development of risk equations, defining implications for risk assessment, evidence
review and implementation of considerations for risk assessment.
The commonly used toll for risk assessment in the UK is the QRISK calculator. Its calculated
risk is calibrated to the contemporary UK population and is therefore expected to be more
convenient (Tidy, 2016)
What is cholesterol and lipoproteins
Cholesterol is a form of a lipid made from alcohol and a steroid. Lipoproteins are complexes
of lipids and proteins. There are two types of lipoproteins, high density and low-density
lipoproteins. Roughly 50% of the weight of LDL particles is made of cholesterol while only a