Damn you British Heart Foundation

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Every year on the 26th February, the BHF (British Heart Foundation) has a 'National Wear Red Day' in order to raise awareness of heart disease in the UK... every year it is, except this year. And I only discovered this after wearing red today. And seen as I'm about to go to bed, damn it.

This year's Wear Red Day will be 9th June... though I'm not sure why.

But let's pretend it's 2016 and I'm raising awareness by wearing red on the correct day:

There are more than 72,000 deaths in the UK caused by heart disease. 1 in 6 men and 1 in 10 women die from Coronary heart disease (CHD).

Around 2.3 million people live with CHD, and arouhnd 2 million are affect by angina.

Atherosclerosis (arteries being bunged up by fatty deposits) can be caused by the following; smoking, high cholesterol, hypertension, and diabetes.

Regular exercise and not smoking can reduce the the effects of CHD, as can medication and surgery, a healthy diet and controlling blood cholesterol and sugar levels.

The NHS has more information here about preventing CHD: http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Coronary-heart-disease/Pages/Prevention.aspx

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