Our heart is truly an amazing creation, surpassing any human invention ever created. It beats 365 days a year, 80,000 to 100,000 a day with no rest, and requires no conscious effort on our part to work. Though its job looks deceptively simple with a function similar to a pump, it is so essential that if it ever goes on strike, we literally go out of business.
But looking at the statistics, many of us do not seem to care much for this vital organ in our body. In the US, some 80 million, or one in every three Americans suffer from at least one form of cardiovascular disease. Heart disease is also one of the leading causes of death in many parts of the world, including Singapore.
It certainly pays to take better care of your heart. Let us give due respect to this crucial and hardworking member in our body and learn what we can do to ensure that our heart can function with the least effort.
At a Glance
Know Your Risk Factors
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Blood Pressure. High blood pressure, or hypertension, stresses our arteries and cause gradual damages to the heart, blood vessels, kidneys, eyes and many parts of the body. Unfortunately, many people with high blood pressure are unaware of their condition, as hypertension has little or no symptoms at all. Therefore, it is important to monitor your blood pressure regularly even when you are feeling fine.
If you are 45 and older, make it a point to check your blood pressure at least every quarter. An easy-to-use digital blood pressure monitor also makes a good investment as you can measure your own blood pressure at the comfort of your home. Some studies even suggest that taking your own readings at home may sometimes be more accurate that having your blood pressure taken in a clinical setting.
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Cholesterol. High blood cholesterol, specifically the low-density lipoproteins (LDL or ‘bad’ cholesterol) and triglycerides, clog up arteries and increase your risk of a heart attack and stroke. If you have a history of high ‘bad’ cholesterol or triglycerides levels, it is a good idea to test your blood every quarter along with other proactive measures to bring your LDL to less than 130 mg/dL, and triglycerides to no more than 150 mg/dL.
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Weight. Obesity increases the risk not just for heart disease, but also cancers, diabetes and other diseases. While all forms of obesity are detrimental to health, recent studies have shown that accumulated body fat around the waist poses the greatest danger to the heart than those around the hips.
Waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) is a simple way to gauge your body-weight composition. To determine your WHR, simply measure the circumference of your waist just above the navel in inches. Then measure your hips, also in inches, around the largest part of your buttocks. Divide the number for the waist by the one for the hips to get your WHR.
If your ratio is above 0.85 (for women), or 0.95 (for men), you are at a higher risk for coronary heart disease than those whose ratio falls within the normal range. Follow the recommendations in this article to revamp your diet and lifestyle, and lose the extra inches from your waist.
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Blood Sugar. In the US, there are more than 17 million people diagnosed with diabetes, and at least 65 percent of diabetic patients die of some form of heart disease or stroke. It is believed that diabetes affects the cholesterol levels in the body, promotes the formation of plaques and damages the heart’s nerves.
But the good news is that the most common form of diabetes, Type 2 diabetes, can be prevented and controlled by the same recommendations in this article. If you are already diabetic, work with your family physician to maintain a normal blood sugar level.
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Homocysteine. Homocysteine is a ‘corrosive’ amino acid that formed as a by-product of protein metabolism. Studies have found that elevated homocysteine in the blood tripled the risk for heart attack, as it damages artery walls and promotes formation of blood clots, which lead to most heart attacks. Presently, there is no recommendation for checking homocysteine levels in the general population, and the test isn’t widely available too. But, if you currently suffering from some form of coronary disease, check with your cardiologist on the necessity for this test.
Heart-Clogging Causes You Can Avoid
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Smoking. The damages caused by smoking are well-founded — if you smoke cigarettes, you effectively double your risk of heart disease. Because smoking dealt not one but three blows to your heart: it promotes the build-up of plaques around the artery walls, reduces your ‘good’ cholesterol level, and encourages the formation of blood clots.
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Second-hand Smoke. Even if you do not smoke, exposure to the smoke that someone puffs out also put you at a higher risk of cardiovascular disease. Research has found that short exposure to second-hand smoke can cause your blood platelets to become stickier, injuring the lining of the blood vessels and decrease blood flow to the heart. So stay clear of toxic smoke!
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Diesel Exhaust. Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles found that toxic air contaminants in diesel exhaust can lead to atherosclerosis, or clogging of the arteries, when they interact with the ‘bad’ cholesterol in the body. If you are constantly exposed to diesel fumes at work, it is important to work with your employer to reduce exposure to harmful emissions for the sake of your heart.
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Trans Fat. Trans fat not only raises total cholesterol levels, it also deplete the ‘good’ cholesterol which helps protect against heart disease. Most people ingest trans fats unknowingly by eating cookies, pop corns, potato chips, deep-fried foods, and other convenient foods which are prepared with partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. If you are tempted to go for one of these, swap them with healthy snacks like nuts and fruits (fresh or dried) instead. They are equally satisfying and are packed with anti-aging nutrients.
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Sugary Drinks. Many people forget about beverages when thinking about calories consumption, saturated fat and cholesterol levels. Sugary drinks, sometimes with added full cream and ice-cream, don’t fill you up and often lead to over-consumption of calories and obesity. Even real fruit juices shouldn’t be consumed with abandon as they are likely to have the same effect. Learn to enjoy the fresh clean taste of pure water, or savor your favorite beverage without added sugar or cream.
Save Your Heart with Cardiotonic Foods
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Cholesterol Beneficial Foods. It is possible to lower your serum cholesterol without using expensive drugs which may have long-term side effects. Learn how I lowered my ‘bad’ cholesterol level naturally with cholesterol-lowering foods and exercise, and experiment with different foods available in your area to find out those that work for you.
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Vitamin-B Rich Foods. People with high homocysteine levels are found to have insufficient vitamin B6, B12, and folate. But this deficiency cannot simply be solved by popping vitamin B-complex pills. Recent findings have shown that vitamin therapy does not lower one’s risk of heart disease and high-dosage of B-vitamins can even do more harm than good.
A better option is to obtain your B vitamins from daily meals. Foods such as spinach, garlic, cauliflower and banana are rich in vitamin B6, while shrimp, snapper, salmon and scallop are good sources of B12. To get more folic acid (vitamin B9), include asparagus, kelp, broccoli and black beans into your diet.
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Omega-3 Fats. Omega-3 fatty acids are power nutrient that reduce inflammation throughout the body, prevents blood from clotting excessively, reduce serum cholesterol, and confers protective properties to many parts of the body including the brain, heart and eyes.
But how much omega-3 fats do you need? As it turns out, not a lot. Studies have found that eating salmon or tuna twice a week would raise your omega-3 profile to the same levels as daily consumption of fish oil capsules. Besides, getting omega-3s through foods has the added benefit of better absorption by the body than supplements.
Having said that, if you are a vegetarian or don’t like to eat fish, don’t rule out omega-3 supplements entirely. Because omega-3 fats from plant sources such as flaxseeds and walnuts would not provide you with adequate omega-3 fatty acids. (Check out this article on why plants are not good sources of omega-3.) In this case, you may want to consider complementing your diet with EPA and DHA-enriched foods or supplements.
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Fresh Vegetables and Fruits. Most vegetables and fruits are rich in potassium. A lack of potassium can cause your body to take up more sodium, which in turn rises blood pressure. Studies have shown that an increase in potassium leads to lower blood pressure, even when the amount of sodium remained constant.
To increase potassium intake, make vegetables, fruits and other plant foods, not flesh of animals, the biggest portion in your meals. They also fill you up more, have lower calories and saturated fats than any types of meat, and are nutrient-dense.
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Green Tea. Green Tea is a rich supply of polyhenols that protects against coronary disease. According to studies done in Japan, regular tea drinkers had at least a 20 percent lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease than occasional tea drinkers. This makes green tea a good substitute for coffee as it provides health-promoting compounds with lower caffeine.
In the second part of this article, we will look at the effects of double-edged substances like salt and caffeine on our artery health, how some simple habits can strengthen your heart and how detrimental a broken heart can be.
How Not to Get a Heart Attack — Part 2 »
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