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The data of the Central Statistical Office show that in Poland, about 175 people die annually from cardiological causes, which is 46 percent. all deaths. Most of the risk factors associated with cardiac disease are factors that we can eliminate. It is enough to change a few habits. How to care for your heart? What to do to reduce the risk of a heart attack or coronary heart disease? Here are six practical tips.
quit smoking
Smoking is destructive not only to the lungs but also to other organs, including the heart and blood vessels. The chemicals in tobacco smoke damage blood cells and affect the structure and function of blood vessels. These lesions increase the risk of atherosclerosis.
Smoking is also a major risk factor for peripheral arterial disease (PAD). Deposits build up in arteries that obstruct blood flow to the brain and other organs, and to the extremities. People with PAD are at increased risk of heart disease, heart attack and stroke.
Contributes to inflammation, damages blood vessel walls, making them less flexible, disrupts the heart, raises blood pressure and heart rate, which forces the heart to work harder, lowers HDL cholesterol and increases LDL cholesterol, also increases triglyceride levels, thickens blood and makes it difficult for it to carry oxygen.
Even occasional and irregular smoking causes damage to the heart and blood vessels. The so-called passive smoking, i.e. inhaling the smoke from a burning cigarette or the smoke exhaled by a smoker. Exposing children and adolescents to secondhand smoke increases the risk of future coronary heart disease because it lowers HDL (“good” cholesterol) levels, raises blood pressure and damages heart tissue.
Advice: If you haven’t stopped smoking yet, please do so as soon as possible. Do not expose yourself and those around you (especially children) to inhaling harmful cigarette smoke.
The rest of the article under the video.
Keep alcohol consumption to a minimum
When it comes to alcohol and heart health, existing research is contradictory – some show that small amounts of alcohol (red wine) improve heart function, others say alcohol is actually harmful. In the case of alcohol, moderation is the most important – the less we consume it, the better for our body.
Frequent drinking of alcohol leads to: arrhythmias, hypertension, heart attack and damage to the heart muscle.
Frequent use of alcohol contributes to an increase in blood pressure, which in turn is one of the most important risk factors for a heart attack or stroke. Alcohol also contributes to the development of heart failure as a result of its weakening. Binge drinking can also cause an irregular heartbeat. The so-called Christmas heart, usually occurs after heavy drinking episodes (at least seven and a half liters of 4 percent beer or one and a half bottles of 13 percent wine) within 24 hours. The heart starts to be irregular, which causes breathing problems. Blood pressure fluctuates and the risk of heart attack and sudden death increases.
Advice: Keep alcohol consumption to a minimum.
Change your eating habits
How you eat has a huge impact on how you feel and how your organs work. If you want your heart to be healthy and strong, you need to provide your body with the right nutrients. At the beginning, changing your diet can be a big challenge, especially if you haven’t paid attention to what you eat. How to introduce healthy habits into your diet?
Consume about 200 g of fruit and 200 g of vegetables daily (2-3 servings). In this simple way, you will provide the body with the necessary vitamins and minerals. Try to eat fish twice a week and cut back on red and processed meats. Also, take care of more fiber in your diet – you’ll find it in whole grains, fruits and vegetables.
Also, limit your salt intake. According to WHO, we should not eat more than 5 g of salt a day (one teaspoon). Meanwhile, salt is added to practically every product and we can easily exceed this threshold, especially if we like to add extra salt to our dishes. Excessive consumption of sodium (salt is NaCl or sodium chloride) promotes the development of hypertension, which in turn is a major risk factor for heart failure and complications in people with existing heart failure. Experts also note that salt-rich diets are usually also high-fat, high-calorie diets, which in turn leads to obesity and its many related complications.
Advice: Make changes to your menu. Don’t do it violently or you will get discouraged quickly. Limit the consumption of highly processed foods, introduce your favorite vegetables and fruits to your diet, drink plenty of water, replace white bread with whole grains.
- Prof. Jankowski: Hypertension is asymptomatic. Symptoms have complications
Take care of your weight
Overweight and obesity are not healthy for our body. Obesity is associated with an increased risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, especially heart failure and coronary artery disease. It can lead to a sharp increase in bad cholesterol and triglycerides, but also to lower the level of good cholesterol. Obesity can also contribute to an increase in blood pressure. The heart has to work harder to deliver oxygen to every cell in the body.
Obesity can be caused by many factors and is not only related to poor nutrition. Therefore, instead of trying the “miracle diet” yourself and counting on quick and spectacular results, it is better to consult a doctor, do tests, see how the body functions and which parameters need to be improved. A comprehensive approach to the topic will allow you to avoid health problems related to sudden weight loss – a deficiency of vitamins and minerals that can lead to other serious disorders.
Advice: If you are obese or visibly overweight, consult your doctor. Based on the results of the research, you should find out how to lose weight safely and healthily or improve your results.
Get tested regularly
The data collected during the National Health Test of Poles 2020 shows that only 39 percent. Poles in the last 12 months have examined the level of cholesterol, 50 percent. performed a blood sugar test, and 56 percent. morphology. Meanwhile, these simple tests are very important to “catch” problems with the heart and circulatory system.
Cholesterol and triglyceride levels will help determine if you are at risk of atherosclerosis. High levels of LDL (“bad”) cholesterol in the blood serum put you at greater risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Regular testing of total cholesterol, LDL, HDL and triglycerides is very important. Eating high cholesterol can be lowered by eating the right diet – limiting foods that contain saturated fat will help. In some cases, pharmacological treatment is introduced, including statins.
Regular blood sugar testing helps detect pre-diabetes and diabetes. People with diabetes are at particular risk of dying from cardiovascular disease. Over time, high blood glucose levels can damage your blood vessels and nerves. The longer you have diabetes, the greater your risk of heart disease, but the good news is that treating your diabetes properly will help reduce your risk of heart disease. That is why early detection of the problem, which is possible thanks to regular examinations and implementation of appropriate treatment, is so important.
Advice: Plan preventive examinations and enter them in the calendar.
- Preventive examinations for women of all ages. Do regularly
- Preventive examinations for men of all ages. Do regularly
Stay physically active
According to the American Heart Association, women of all ages who engage in moderate physical activity for 60 minutes a day (or vigorous activity for 30 minutes a day) have 46 percent a lower risk of heart disease than their colleagues who are not physically active.
A sedentary lifestyle is very unhealthy for our body and contributes to increased cardiovascular disease. So it’s time to get off the couch and find the physical activity that suits you best. Regular exercise helps to keep your heart healthy, and increases the body’s efficiency and oxygenation. By the way, when practicing sports, it is easier to maintain a healthy body weight.
Advice: In addition to the physical exercises that you plan, for example, three times a week, do not avoid other physical activity. Get off earlier and cover part of the route, e.g. to work, on foot, choose stairs instead of an elevator, go for a walk. Every minute not spent on the couch counts.
Taking care of your heart is part of a healthy lifestyle. Changing the habits we have been stuck in for years is difficult and requires sacrifices, but it is worth trying. After all, our heart may be even 100 years old, let’s not make it difficult for it.
Take care of your heart. The “Heart Control” diagnostic test package is available in Medonet Market.
Editors recommend:
- Do you have heart disease? You must remember these seven principles
- Cardiovascular diseases are killing Poles. “We don’t care about our hearts, doctors are too passive”
- Prof. Adam Witkowski: Coronavirus is a much stronger threat for heart patients
- Do Poles care about the heart? [INFOGRAPHICS]
The article was written in cooperation with the Polish Cardiac Society thanks to an unlimited grant from the Polpharma Group.
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