preventing Heart Disease scientifically

Managing heart health with ageing is absolutely crucial for longevity and quality of life. The human body is one of the best machines in the universe and if maintained properly, it can’t develop a snag. 95% of the heart diseases can be prevented or even reversed with the help of education & knowledge about it and taking basic necessary action yourself.

Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) which is the main heart issue can be also be called as the disease of ignorance & is a result of long term mismanagement of heart health with stress, wrong diet, sedentary lifestyle & smoking.

Personality and environment play a big role in heart disease. A potential heart patient is in hurry all the time with lack of patience, has a perfectionist and not a practical attitude, restlessness,  always preoccupied mind, excessively critical of self & others, gets provoked easily, highly dominating, always stressed. Apart from these personality attributes, the potential heart patient lives a sedentary lifestyle with either very less or lack of physical exercise, his/her dietary habits & choice of food is also unhealthy & above all he/she is not educated or aware of the heart & its health.

 Are you at risk for heart disease or stroke?

The good news is that almost 80% of premature heart disease and stroke can be prevented through healthy lifestyle habits. Knowing your own risk factors is the first step to help prevent disease.

Assess your risk

Learn how to reduce your risk

Take action

First step is to assess your risk.

Check the risk factors that apply to you.

Medical conditions

• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Diabetes
• Sleep apnea (a condition that causes you to stop and start breathing while you sleep)

Lifestyle risk factors

• Unhealthy diet
• Not enough exercise
• Obesity
• Smoking, Tobacco use
• Heavy drinking
• Stress

Risk factors you cannot control

• Age (the older you are, the higher your risk)
• Sex (your risk of heart disease and stroke increases with menopause)
• Family history of heart disease, stroke or ischemic attack

Step 2 Learn how to reduce your risk

Manage your medical conditions

High blood pressure is the number one risk factor for stroke and a major risk factor for heart disease. You cannot feel or notice high blood pressure. The only way to know if you have high blood pressure is to measure it.

Take Action

• Ask your doctor for your target blood pressure level. Check it regularly.
• Take medication, if prescribed by your doctor.
• Reduce the amount of salt you eat. Specially take note of the sodium intake.
• Eat a healthy balanced diet, with lots of vegetables and fruit.
• Try to stay at a healthy weight. BMI less than 25. Learn healthy diet.
• Be more active. Keep Moving and avoid long sitting.
• Be smoke free.
• Manage stress.

Improve cholesterol levels

High blood cholesterol is one of the major controllable risk factors for heart disease and stroke. As your blood cholesterol rises, so does your risk of coronary heart disease.

Take Action

• Eat a healthy balanced diet, with lots of vegetables and fruit.
• Be smoke-free.
• Try to stay at a healthy weight.
• Be more active.
• Take medication, if prescribed by your doctor.

Control diabetes

People with diabetes are three times more likely to have heart disease. They are also more likely to develop heart disease at a younger age.

Take Action

• HbA1C – Monitor and control your blood sugar levels.
• Blood pressure – Know your blood pressure and take steps to keep it in a healthy range.
• Cholesterol – Make sure your LDL cholesterol levels are low.
• Drugs to decrease heart disease risk. This might include blood pressure pills, cholesterol-lowering pills and others.
• Exercise and healthy eating.
• Self-management support. Set goals to reach and maintain a healthy lifestyle and understand what stands in your way.
• Screening or monitoring for complications. 
• Stop smoking.

Make lifestyle changes to improve your health

Eat healthy

You can improve your heart and brain health by eating a healthy balanced diet.

Take Action

• Eat a healthy balanced diet, with lots of vegetables and fruit.
  • Choose brightly colored fruits and vegetables each day, especially orange and dark green vegetables.
  • Frozen or canned unsweetened fruits and vegetables are a good alternative to fresh produce.
• Prepare meals at home from scratch. Cooking at home allows you to select whole and minimally processed foods, and to limit added salt.
• Keep a reusable water bottle with you so that you can fill it up wherever you are going. Communities that do not have access to safe drinking water can stay hydrated with non-sweetened drinks such as coffee, tea or boiled water.

Be physically more active

Being physically active is good for your heart and brain. Getting 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous-intensity activity per week can significantly reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure and diabetes. People who are NOT active have an increased risk of heart disease and stroke, as well as an increased risk of diabetes, cancer and dementia. Being active helps your heart, brain, muscles, bones and mood.

Take Action

• Try to be active every day. — Aim for 30 minutes of physical activity most days of the week, in sessions of 10 minutes or more.
  • Include moderate exercise (cycling, brisk walking, jogging) in the mix.
• Walking is a great way to start.
• Look for opportunities to be active every day. Play outside with the kids, take leaves, take the stairs…it is all good!
• Start slowly, set weekly goals and increase your level of activity over time.

Aim for a healthy weight

Being overweight can lead to high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and sleep apnea. Even a small weight loss will help.

Take Action

• Your doctor will help you figure out the weight that is right for you.
• The best way to lose weight is to choose healthy food and be more active.
• Make small changes in your diet and activity levels that you can keep for life. That’s better than making lots of changes at once and not sticking to any of them.

Kick the smoking habit

Smokers have more than twice the risk for heart attack. Smoking triples the risk of dying from heart disease and stroke in middle-aged men and women. Quitting is one of the most important things you can do to prevent heart disease and stroke.

Drink less alcohol

Heavy drinking and binge drinking are risk factors for heart disease and stroke. Plus, alcohol may cause problems by interacting with your medications.

Take Action

• If you drink alcohol, drink in moderation.

Manage stress

Stress can cause the heart to work harder, increases blood pressure and increases your risk.

Take Action

• Know what causes you stress.
• Talk to people you trust.
• Take a short break away from your regular routine.
• Plan some physical activity into your day.
• Try mindfulness meditation or deep breathing to help you relax.
• Do activities you enjoy. Have some fun!

Step 3 Take Action

Make changes for a healthier life

• Plan to make healthy lifestyle changes that include realistic goals — like walking for 20 minutes, 5 days a week. Ask yourself how confident you are about reaching the goal. If you don’t feel confident, change the goal to one you can reach.

• Act on your goals — take one step at a time.

• Figure out what’s stopping you from sticking to your plan. Keep a record of your daily food intake and physical activity to help you identify barriers and inspire you to reach your goals.

• Don’t give up — get back on track when you slip up.

• Reward yourself for the gains you’ve made — with something you like to do, not food.