Preventing Heart Disease!
Nearly thirty per cent of adults over forty five years of age in India have a confirmed diagnosis of cardiovascular heart disease.
Nearly 350 men per lac men and 265 women per lac women in India die of cardiovascular heart disease.
And cardiovascular heart disease is largely preventible, and still we see a large number of people suffering from it.
It is not too difficult to stay heart healthy if we know what to do to stay heart healthy and are a little conscious about how to stay that way.
Staying heart healthy is all about consistent, balanced habits.
Here are some of the key things that help.
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Eat healthy:
Adapt a healthy diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grain cereals and pulses, skimmed or low fat milk and its products like curds, buttermilk, home made paneer.
Non vegetarians can have lean proteins like fish, especially sea fish and lean meats.
Vegetarians can get adequate proteins through milk and the combined consumption of pulses and cereals.
It is also important to get moderate amounts of healthy fats from our food. In India, for our relatively high temperature cooking, groundnut oil if your cooking is low temperature cooking, like salad dressing, olive oil, nuts, and avocados provide good fats. But make sure your fat consumption is very moderate as we are also watching our weight.
Limit saturated fats viz. fatty meats, cream, butter, ghee, trans fats viz. vanaspati ghee, coconut and palm oils, fried foods, salt and added sugars.
Most of these precautions are also in confirmation with the DASH Diet or the Mediterranean Diet, both have been confirmed to be great for heart health.
Eating healthy can lower the risk of cardiovascular disease by 30 per cent!
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Get off your chair or the couch and get adequate workout.
Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise like brisk walking or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise like running or jogging per week.
Include strength training a couple of times a week, too, if you get proper guidance for it or have already been trained to do it. Small weights and more repetitions are more likely to be beneficial as there is lesser risk of injuries in it.
Regular exercise as simple as brisk walking 150 minutes a week can lower the risk of cardiovascular disease by 25 to 30 per cent!
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Lose weight, if you are overweight.
Getting completely slim from being obese can lower your heart disease risk by 50 per cent, especially losing weight by adapting a healthy diet and exercising regularly.
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Manage Stress:
Chronic stress can increase blood pressure and heart disease risk.
Practices like meditation, deep breathing, pranayam, yoga, yoganidra or just taking time to chill out can help.
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Sleep Well:
Get 7 to 9 hours of quality sleep each night.
Poor sleep can contribute to high blood pressure and other heart problems.
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Avoid Smoking and Limit Alcohol:
Smoking is one of the worst things for your heart. If you smoke, quitting altogether is the only option if you wish to stay heart healthy.
If you drink, do so in moderation. Western advice is maximum one drink a day for women, 2 for men, but this limit is probably guided more due to the culture of drinking daily in the West.
In our culture, it should be limited to one and two a week, for women and men respectively, complete quitting is even better if you want to get heart healthy.
The DASH Diet also advises similarly.
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Keep an eye on your blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol and weight.
Regular check-ups can catch issues early.
Make sure they are all within normal range.
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Stay Connected:
Social interaction with family and friends is good for your heart. Staying connected helps reduce stress and improves emotional well-being.
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A 2021 study in the Lancet found that the modifiable risk factors, particularly diet, blood pressure and cholesterol, account for over 70 per cent of global cardiovascular deaths.
Meaning eating healthier and controlling the blood pressure and cholesterol can lower the global cardiovascular deaths by over 70 per cent.
The INTERHEART study (global case-control) showed that 90 per cent heart attacks can be explained by modifiable lifestyle factors.
Meaning probably that 90 per cent of heart attacks can be prevented by lifestyle modification.
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So making these lifestyle changes can immeasurably improve our heart health, the sooner we begin the better, but it is never too late.
Also read the article ‘Eating To Lower Your Blood Pressure And Become Heart Healthy!’ on this website.