Strategies to prevent heart disease

Heart disease—and the conditions contributing to it—can affect you at any age. But how you manage these conditions now affects your heart health throughout your life. While certain risk factors can’t be controlled, there are plenty of things we can do to manage our controllable risk factors for heart disease. In this article, we’ll discuss about heart disease risk factors, reveal exactly what causes it and list strategies for heart disease prevention–

What causes heart disease?

The primary cause of heart disease is building up of plaque, a waxy substance, in the coronary arteries supplying blood to the heart and throughout the body. This substance accumulates over time, particularly when the inner lining of an artery is damaged by smoking, high blood pressure, or elevated cholesterol or triglycerides. The buildup results in narrowing of the arteries, which in turn makes it harder for blood to flow through. This can cause heart problems like heart attack and stroke. So, heart disease prevention and treatment is necessary.

What are the conditions that lead to heart disease?

Several uncontrollable health conditions, such as your family history of heart diseases may contribute to the risk. However, certain traits, conditions or habits are controllable and may also raise your risk. If you don’t know how to avoid heart disease, learn to manage the controllable risk factors including –

• Blood cholesterol levels.
• Diabetes.
• Being overweight
• Cigarette Smoking.
• Unhealthy eating.

 What are the strategies for improving your heart health?

For most of us, prevention of heart disease largely depends on our daily habits and lifestyle, which means there’s a lot that’s in our power to manage our condition and improve our odds of living long and healthy –

• Know your health history-Know your risks. If you’re a healthy adult with low risk, getting yourself screened once a year is sufficient. However, if you have past heart conditions, high blood pressure, or bad cholesterol levels, you may need to get yourself checked more often.
• Take your medicines as directed– Medicines may be prescribed for controlling high cholesterol, or diabetes. It’s important to understand and follow the doctor’s directions closely. Caregivers can help their loved ones in taking their medications regularly as directed and on time.
• Change your eating habits-

It’s important to fine tune your diet. To eat the best heart disease prevention diet –

• Control your portion size and keep track of number of servings.
• Eat more fruits and vegetables.
• Avoid refined grain products. Instead, try a new whole grain, such as barley.
• Cut back on saturated and trans fats- Trim fat off your meat, use less butter and low-fat substitutions.
• Choose low-protein sources such as legumes and salmon and other types of fish are rich in omega-3 fatty acids.
• Reduce intake of salt
• Eliminate soda and supermarket smoothies and energy drinks.
• Pursue an active lifestyle- Adults should do 2 hours and 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise, like brisk walking, every week.
• Don’t smoke- By quitting smoking you can lower your risk.

Even if you’ve been diagnosed with heart disease, adjusting your lifestyle and taking medications benefits your heart and prevents further damage to it.

Heart disease affects people of all ages – It can begin early on in life and continues to progress with time. Even if you’re healthy, consult a doctor to detect potential problems early on. Whether you need general information on heart disease prevention and treatment, or support for heart disease risk assessment, you can count on MakingIndia Heartstrong website.

FAQs

Q. How to start taking care of your heart health in your 20s?

Bringing some good habits into your daily regimen helps you take care of your heart health in your 20s. –

• Be mindful of what you have on your plate.
• Your heart disease prevention dietshould include lean proteins, fresh fruits and veggies, whole grains, and only healthy fats.
• Reduce the intake of saturated fats, excess salt, and sugary snacks.
• Slash your cholesterol level by consuming walnut, fish and and other Omega-3-rich foods.
• If you drink sugary drinks, substitute them with water.
• Take medications as directed in recommended dosage.
• Adding cardio activities such as running, cycling, and swimming to your workout plan is a wonderful way to improve your cardiac health.
• Establish a positive relationshipwith your doctor around your family’s health. Plan the future of your heart health accordingly.

Q. How can women prevent heart disease?

Many things put women at an increased risk of heart health problems – some are controllable while others you can’t control. The key takeaway is that by managing your controllable risk factors and changing your lifestyle, heart disease can be prevented and even ended in women. Healthy choices result in fewer women dying from heart health issues. Check out these strategies for heart disease prevention in women-

• Don’t smoke
• Manage your blood sugarand blood pressure
• Lower your cholesterol
• Know your family history
• Stay physically active
• Lose  your weight
• Eat healthyfoods

Q. What is the role of taking medications regularly in prevention of heart diseases?

Taking medicines as prescribed lowers LDL cholesterol levels, leading to prevention and treatment of heart disease. If your levels of LDL cholesterol are high, your doctor may prescribe medicines along with lifestyle changes. It’s important to take medication regularly even if your cholesterol levels stay in a healthy range. Use of medicines shouldn’t be stopped without doctor’s advice.

Q. What are the heart disease symptoms?

The symptoms depend on the type of heart disease a person has. Also, some heart problems cause no symptoms at all. The symptoms which may indicate a heart problem include:

• angina, or chest pain
• difficulty in breathing
• swelling due to fluid retention
• fatigue
• lightheadedness

The symptoms of heart attack include chest pain, nausea, stomach pain, swollen ankles, fatigue, an irregular heartbeat, chocking sensations and more.

References-

1. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heart-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20353118
2. https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/about.htm
3. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heart-disease/in-depth/heart-healthy-diet/art-20047702
4. https://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/resources/infographic/hearthealth.htm
5. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/237191#symptoms