Heart Health: Risks of heart Diseases And Ways To Improve Heart Health
Heart Health: Risks of heart Diseases And Ways To Improve Heart Health.
What is heart?
Heart is a hollow organ situated in the chest cavity that pump blood to the entire body. It pumps oxygenated blood to the body cells which carries nutrients, hormones, oxygen, etc. It also pumps deoxygenated blood to lungs where it gets oxygen through diffusion.
Maintaining a healthy condition of heart is very important because it is among the vital organs of the body. When heart problems developed, it can affects the whole body systems.
Am I at risk for heart disease?
Everyone is at risk for heart disease. But you are at higher risk for heart disease if you:
Have high blood pressure
Smoke
Have high cholesterol
Are overweight or obese
Don't get enough physical activity
Don't eat a healthy diet
Your age and family history also affect your risk for heart disease.
Your risk is higher if:
You are a woman over age 55
You are a man over age 45
Your father or brother had heart disease before age 55
Your mother or sister had heart disease before age 65
But the good news is there's a lot you can do to prevent heart disease.
Ways To Improve Heart Health
The proven ways to maintain heart health for healthy living are:
1.Eat more vegetables and fruits
Vegetables and fruits are good sources of vitamins and minerals. Vegetables and fruits are also low in calories and rich in dietary fiber. Vegetables and fruits, like other plants or plant-based foods, contain substances that may help prevent cardiovascular disease. Eating more fruits and vegetables may help you cut back on higher calorie foods, such as cheese, meat and snack foods.
Featuring vegetables and fruits in your diet can be easy. Keep vegetables washed and cut in your refrigerator for quick snacks. Keep fruit in a bowl in your kitchen so that you'll remember to eat it. Choose recipes that have vegetables or fruits as the main ingredients, such as vegetable stir-fry or fresh fruit mixed into salads.
2. Quit smoking
There are many steps you can take to help protect your health and blood vessels. Avoiding tobacco is one of the best.
In fact, smoking is one of the top controllable risk factors for heart disease. If you smoke or use other tobacco products, the American Heart Association (AHA), National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) all encourage you to quit. It can make a huge difference to not just your heart, but your overall health, too.
3. Reduce the sodium in your food
When you take a lot of sodium it results in Hypernatremia (abnormally high sodium in the blood) and it can contribute to high blood pressure, a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Reducing sodium is an important part of a heart-healthy diet. The American Heart Association recommends that:
Healthy adults have no more than 2,300 milligrams (mg) of sodium a day (about a teaspoon of salt)
Most adults ideally have no more than 1,500 mg of sodium a day
Although reducing the amount of salt you add to food at the table or while cooking is a good first step, much of the salt you eat comes from canned or processed foods, such as soups, baked goods and frozen dinners.
Eating fresh foods and making your own soups and stews can reduce the amount of salt you eat.
If you like the convenience of canned soups and prepared meals, look for ones with reduced sodium. Be aware of foods that claim to be lower in sodium because they are seasoned with sea salt instead of regular table salt. Sea salt has the same nutritional value as regular salt.
Another way to reduce the amount of salt you eat is to choose your condiments carefully. Many condiments are available in reduced-sodium versions, and salt substitutes can add flavor to your food with less sodium.
Low-salt items to choose High-salt items to limit or avoid
Herbs and spices
Salt-free seasoning blends
Reduced-salt canned soups or prepared meals
Reduced-salt versions of condiments, such as reduced-salt soy sauce and reduced-salt ketchup
Table salt
Canned soups and prepared foods, such as frozen dinners
Tomato juice
Condiments such as ketchup, mayonnaise and soy sauce
Restaurant meals.
4. Play on top of the sheets
Or you can play between the sheets! That’s right, having sex can be good for your heart. Sexual activity may add more than just pleasure to your life. It may also help lower your blood pressure and risk of heart disease. Research published in the American Journal of Cardiology shows that a lower frequency of sexual activity is associated with higher rates of cardiovascular disease.
5. Limit unhealthy fats
Limiting how much saturated and trans fats you eat is an important step to reduce your blood cholesterol and lower your risk of coronary artery disease. A high blood cholesterol level can lead to a buildup of plaques in your arteries, called atherosclerosis, which can increase your risk of heart attack and stroke.
The American Heart Association offers these guidelines for how much fat to include in a heart-healthy diet:
Type of fat Recommendation
Saturated fat No more than 5 to 6% of your total daily calories, or no more than 11 to 13g of saturated fat if you follow a 2,000-calorie-a-day diet.
Trans fat Avoid
You can reduce the amount of saturated fat in your diet by trimming fat off your meat or choosing lean meats with less than 10 percent fat. You can also add less butter, margarine and shortening when cooking and serving.
You can also use low-fat substitutions when possible for a heart-healthy diet. For example, top your baked potato with low-sodium salsa or low-fat yogurt rather than butter, or use sliced whole fruit or low-sugar fruit spread on your toast instead of margarine.
You may also want to check the food labels of some cookies, cakes, frostings, crackers and chips. Some of these — even those labeled "reduced fat" — may be made with oils containing trans fats. One clue that a food has some trans fat in it is the phrase "partially hydrogenated" in the ingredient list.
When you do use fats, choose monounsaturated fats, such as olive oil or canola oil. Polyunsaturated fats, found in certain fish, avocados, nuts and seeds, also are good choices for a heart-healthy diet. When used in place of saturated fat, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats may help lower your total blood cholesterol. But moderation is essential. All types of fat are high in calories.
An easy way to add healthy fat (and fiber) to your diet is ground flaxseed. Flaxseeds are small brown seeds that are high in fiber and omega-3 fatty acids. Some studies have found that flaxseeds may help lower cholesterol in some people, but more research is needed. You can grind the seeds in a coffee grinder or food processor and stir a teaspoon of them into yogurt, applesauce or hot cereal.
Fats to choose to limit the amount of fats
Olive oil
Canola oil
Vegetable and nut oils
Margarine, trans fat free
Cholesterol-lowering margarine, such as Benecol, Promise Activ or Smart Balance
Nuts, seeds
Avocados
Butter
Lard
Bacon fat
Gravy
Cream sauce
Nondairy creamers
Hydrogenated margarine and shortening
Cocoa butter, found in chocolate
Coconut, palm, cottonseed and palm-kernel oils.
6. Knit a scarf
Put your hands to work to help your mind unwind. Engaging in activities such as knitting, sewing, and crocheting can help relieve stress and do your ticker some good. Other relaxing hobbies, such as woodworking, cooking, or completing jigsaw puzzles, may also help take the edge off stressful days.
7. Power up your salsa with beans
When paired with low-fat chips or fresh veggies, salsa offers a delicious and antioxidant-rich snack. Consider mixing in a can of black beans for an added boost of heart-healthy fiber. According to the Mayo Clinic, a diet rich in soluble fiber can help lower your level of low-density lipoprotein, or “bad cholesterol.” Other rich sources of soluble fiber include oats, barley, apples, pears, and avocados.
8. Select whole grains
Whole grains are good sources of fiber and other nutrients that play a role in regulating blood pressure and heart health. You can increase the amount of whole grains in a heart-healthy diet by making simple substitutions for refined grain products. Or be adventuresome and try a new whole grain, such as whole-grain farro, quinoa or barley.
Grain products to choose to limit or avoid
Whole-wheat flour
Whole-grain bread, preferably 100% whole-wheat bread or 100% whole-grain bread
High-fiber cereal with 5 g or more fiber in a serving
Whole grains such as brown rice, barley and buckwheat (kasha)
Whole-grain pasta
Oatmeal (steel-cut or regular)
White, refined flour
White bread
Muffins
Frozen waffles
Corn bread
Doughnuts
Biscuits
Quick breads
Cakes
Pies
Egg noodles
Buttered popcorn
High-fat snack crackers
9. Choose low-fat protein sources
Lean meat, poultry and fish, low-fat dairy products, and eggs are some of your best sources of protein. But be careful to choose lower fat options, such as skimmed milk rather than whole milk and skinless chicken breasts rather than fried chicken patties.
Legumes like beans, peas and lentils also are good sources of protein and contain less fat and no cholesterol, making them good substitutes for meat. Substituting plant protein for animal protein for example, a soy or bean burger for a hamburger will reduce your fat and cholesterol intake and increase your fiber intake.
10. Fish
Fish is another good alternative to high-fat meats. And certain types of fish are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which can lower blood fats called triglycerides. You'll find the highest amounts of omega-3 fatty acids in cold-water fish, such as salmon, mackerel and herring. Other sources are flaxseed, walnuts, soya beans and canola oil.
11. Practice good dental hygiene, especially flossing your teeth daily. Dental health is a good indication of overall health, including your heart, because those who have periodontal (gum) disease often have the same risk factors for heart disease. Studies continue on this issue, but many have shown that bacteria in the mouth involved in the development of gum disease can move into the bloodstream and cause an elevation in C-reactive protein, a marker for inflammation in the blood vessels. These changes may in turn, increase your risk of heart disease and stroke.
Tips on how to maintain dental hygiene
Floss and brush your teeth daily to ward off gum disease. It’s more than cavities you may have to deal with if you are fighting gum disease.
12. Have enough sleep.
Sleep is an essential part of keeping your heart healthy. If you don’t sleep enough, you may be at a higher risk for cardiovascular disease no matter your age or other health habits. One study looking at 3,000 adults over the age of 45 found that those who slept fewer than six hours per night were about twice as likely to have a stroke or heart attack as people who slept six to eight hours per night. Researchers believe sleeping too little causes disruptions in underlying health conditions and biological processes, including blood pressure and inflammation.
Tips on having enough sleep
Make sleep a priority.
Get 7 to 8 hours of sleep most nights. If you have sleep apnea, you should be treated as this condition is linked to heart disease and arrhythmias.
13. Don’t sit for too long at one time. In recent years, research has suggested that staying seated for long periods of time is bad for your health no matter how much exercise you do. This is bad news for the many people who sit at sedentary jobs all day. When looking at the combined results of several observational studies that included nearly 800,000 people, researchers found that in those who sat the most, there was an associated 147 percent increase in cardiovascular events and a 90 percent increase in death caused by these events. In addition, sitting for long periods of time (especially when traveling) increases your risk of deep vein thrombosis (a blood clot).
Tips on sitting too long
Experts say it’s important to move throughout the day. Park farther away from the office, take a few shorter walks throughout the day and/or use a standing work station so you can move up and down. And remember to exercise on most days.
14. Avoid secondhand smoke like the plague.
Studies show that the risk of developing heart disease is about 25-30% higher for people who are exposed to secondhand smoke at home or work. According to the American Heart Association, exposure to tobacco smoke contributes to about 34,000 premature heart disease deaths and 7,300 lung cancer deaths each year.
And nonsmokers who have high blood pressure or high blood cholesterol have an even greater risk of developing heart disease when they’re exposed to secondhand smoke. This is because the chemicals emitted from cigarette smoke promote the development of plaque buildup in the arteries.
Tips on second hand smoke
Be firm with smokers that you do not want to be around environmental smoke — and keep children away from secondhand smoke.
15. Eat less sugar
Too much sugar in your diet could lead to weight gain, which can raise your blood pressure and lead to diabetes and heart disease. If you have a sweet tooth and can’t give up sugar altogether, simply have fresh fruit with yoghurt instead of sweetened puddings and cakes.
16. Stop consumption of alcohol
Alcohol can affect your heart by causing high blood pressure, abnormal heart rhythms and damage to the heart muscle.
17. Keep your weight down
If you’re heavier than you should be, your risk of high blood pressure, high cholesterol and type 2 diabetes is above normal. Eating less sugar and saturated fat while cutting back on alcohol, eating more fruit and veg and getting more exercise can all help you lose excess pounds – and keep those pounds off in the long term.
18. Keep stress under control
If you’re under a lot of stress, you may be more likely to smoke, take little or no exercise and drink more than a moderate amount of alcohol – all of which are linked with heart problems.
Try our stress test to find out how high (or low) your stress levels are, and read our article Getting a handle on stress for our top five stress-busting tips. And if you still need further ideas to help you wind down, take a look at Five easy ways to relax more.
Sources:
www.caba.org.uk
www.myhealthfinder.org
+2 other sources
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