When people talk about heart disease, it’s
inevitably doom and gloom, so let’s get those out of the way
first. It’s a painful reminder that heart disease remains the
UK’s biggest killer, being responsible for over 117,000
deaths a year.
It’s not only people who have reached their retirement age
that suffer: heart disease affects over one in eighty people below
the age of 451. Moreover, once women have gone through the
menopause, their risk of heart disease becomes similar to that of
men.
The heart naturally ages as we get older. After all, it’s
a pump and as with any pump, time takes its toll. With passing
years, this means the heart is likely to perform less efficiently.
Also, with increasing age, the arteries are likely to lose their
elasticity and to become hardened. If the arteries become narrowed,
or furred-up, then it’s also harder for blood to pass through
them. The heart needs a good blood supply to pump and when arteries
that carry blood to it are narrow, the heart has to work harder but
may not be getting enough blood (fuel) to do so. Consequently this
results in angina chest pain because the heart muscle is not
getting enough oxygen and other nutrients. If the blood supply to
the heart is completely blocked off, a heart attack occurs.
There’s nothing that can be done about the passage of time
but there is plenty that can be done to make life easier for your
heart, so that it’s not put under additional strain that in
turn may cause it to wear out prematurely.
The key to keeping your heart in great shape is to look after it
and to make it as easy as possible for it to do its job. This means
preventing furring up of the arteries as best you can. There are a
number of lifestyle factors that will increase the ageing of your
heart and damage the arteries and threaten to stop it in its
tracks. Eliminating these offers the best chance of a healthy
heart.
Smoking is the number one avoidable risk factor for heart
disease. It deprives the heart of oxygen and nicotine causes it to
beat faster and raises blood pressure, thus forcing the heart to
work harder. Smoking also leads to atherosclerosis, the process
whereby clots, or plaques, form on the wall of the arteries,
narrowing them. Not smoking is essential if you are to give your
heart the best chance of longevity.
Cholesterol is another major contributor to heart disease as it
too causes clots to form within the arteries. It is
‘bad’ cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein or LDL
cholesterol) that’s the problem. We do need some cholesterol
in our bodies for the production of some hormones, for the
manufacture of cell membranes and to assist digestion. However, if
there’s more cholesterol than is needed, excess is deposited
on the walls of the arteries, causing clots.
It is estimated that having a cholesterol level higher than that
recommended is a contributory factor in 46% of deaths from coronary
heart disease. For most people their total cholesterol level should
be below 5mmols/l. However, for those at high risk of circulatory
problems, or who already have these, it should be less than
four.
What we eat plays a vital role in helping to keep the heart
healthy and in whether cholesterol and weight levels are healthy or
not. It’s important to eat at least five portions of fruit
and vegetables a day to ensure an adequate nutrient intake.
Supplementing the diet with a multivitamin can help as nutrient
insurance. High saturated fat diets increase the risk of high
cholesterol, clots and narrowed arteries, as well as obesity.
Reducing total fat consumption is important, in particular
saturated fats found in foods of animal origin, as these increase
bad cholesterol levels. Soluble fibre (eg. oats, lentils, pulses)
and garlic can help lower cholesterol levels. For those not keen on
eating large amounts of garlic on a regular basis, taking a
supplement each day is a good alternative. Cranberry helps lessen
the risk of bad cholesterol forming clots and helps raise levels of
good cholesterol. So a daily glass of cranberry juice or a
supplement is another important dietary measure. Omega 3 fatty
acids from fish oil protect the heart and circulation by helping to
lower blood pressure and reducing the risk of hardened arteries and
dying prematurely from a heart attack. Eating up to three portions
of fish each week is recommended, at least one of these should be
oily fish. Pure omega 3 fish oils are also available in supplement
form.
Plant sterols or stanols added to foods can help to lower
cholesterol levels. Another supplement worthy of consideration is
co-enzyme Q10. This is a powerful antioxidant that can assist in
reducing the risk of arteries becoming hardened and furred-up. For
those men over the age of forty and women who have gone through the
menopause, up to two units of alcohol a day is believed to help
protect the heart and circulation.
The heart is a muscle so needs to be kept fit. Exercise
strengthens it and also helps you maintain a healthy weight. This
means less strain on the heart, less risk of high blood pressure
forcing the heart to work harder and less risk of diabetes which
can damage the arteries, making the job of the heart harder. In
addition, exercise helps lower cholesterol and helps keep stress
under control too, which is important, as high stress levels may
increase the risk of heart disease.
A few simple and positive steps are all that are needed to
provide your heart and circulation with the best chance of
remaining healthy. Keep yourself young at heart and your heart
should remain young too.
The British Heart Foundation
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