Heart Disease Prevention

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. According to the American Heart Association, at least 58.8 million American suffer from heart disease of any form. Around 950.000 people die every year from cardiovascular causes. It is also a major cause of disability for the survivors. Even though increased age is a risk factor, it's a big misconception to think that heart disease only happens to the elderly. One out of every 20 people below the age of 40 has heart disease.

The good news is that there are many ways to prevent heart disease. Studies show that nearly everyone, even those with unmodifiable risk factors such as old age and racial background, can become more heart healthy by following a few key steps, such as eating a healthy diet, exercising, quitting smoking, and maintaining a healthy body weight.

Quit Smoking

Smoking or tobacco use is one of the most significant risk factors for developing heart disease. Even occasional social smoking increases the chance of getting heart disease, as is exposure to second-hand smoke. Pipe smoking or using low-tar, low-nicotine products does not reduce the risk by much. However, when you quit smoking, your heart disease risk drops dramatically within just one year. No matter how long or how much you smoked, you'll start reaping rewards as soon as you quit.

Exercise regularly

Try getting at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity most days of the week. You can break up your exercise time into three times 10 sessions. Casual activities such as gardening, housekeeping, and taking the stairs all count toward your total.

Eat a heart-healthy diet

Following the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) eating plan can help protect your heart. The diet is rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy products. Limiting saturated and trans fat will also reduce your LDL cholesterol which plays an important role in the development of heart disease.

Omega-3 fatty acids is a type of polyunsaturated fat that decreases your risk of heart attack by lowering blood pressure and prevents irregular heart beats. Omega-3 is present in salmon, mackerel, flaxseed oil, soybean oil and canola oil. They can also be found in form of food supplements.

Moderate amount of alcohol, such as red wine can have a protective effect on your heart. Limit consumption to no more than two drinks a day for men, and one a day for women.

Maintain a healthy weight

As you put on weight in adulthood, your weight gain mostly consists of fat rather than muscle. Even a small weight loss can be beneficial. Reducing your weight by just 10% can decrease your blood pressure, lower your blood cholesterol level and reduce your risk of diabetes which in turn reduce your overall risk for cardiovascular diseases.

One way to see if your weight is healthy is to calculate your body mass index (BMI). If your BMI is 25 or higher, you have an increased risk of heart disease and stroke. The BMI is a good, but imperfect guide. Muscle weighs more than fat, and women and men who are very muscular and physically fit can have high BMIs without added health risks. Because of that, waist circumference also is a useful tool to measure how much abdominal fat you have. Men are considered overweight if their waist measurement is greater than 40 inches (101 cm). Women are overweight if their waist measurement is greater than 35 inches (88 cm).

Regular screening for heart disease risk factors

Check your blood pressure at least every 2 years starting from 18 years old. Check your cholesterol level every 5 years (more frequently if you are at an increased risk for heart disease) starting from 20 years old. Check your blood sugar level every five years (more frequently if you have other risk factors such as obesity or high blood pressure) starting from age 30 years old.

The DASH (Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension) Eating Plan

What is the DASH eating plan?

The DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) eating plan was originally designed to lower blood pressure, but it turns to be beneficial for other conditions like diabetes, stroke, and even several types of cancer.


Within two weeks of starting the DASH diet your blood pressure may drop from 8 to 14 points. Best response came from people with prehypertension and people whose blood pressure was only moderately high. Even though the DASH diet is not intended for weight-loss, you may lose unwanted pounds because it guides you toward a healthier eating habit.

The components of the DASH diet includes:

• Reduced sodium intake. The standard DASH diet recommends up to 2300 mg (1 teaspoon) of sodium per day, while the lower sodium DASH diet recommends up to 1500 mg (2/3 teaspoon) per day. The lower sodium version is especially helpful in lowering blood pressure for middle aged or older adults, for African-Americans and for those who already have high blood pressure.
  

  

  An apple a day keeps the doctor away? Try four or five.

• Fruits and vegetables. In a 2000 calories per day basis, DASH recommends 4-5 servings or fruit and another 4-5 servings of vegetables per day.One serving of vegetable includes 1 cup raw leafy or 1/2 cup of cooked vegetables. One serving of fruit includes 1 medium fruit or 1/2 cup fresh, frozen or canned fruit. Most fruits are low in fat except for coconut and avodacoes.
• Grains. In a 2000 calories per day basis, DASH recommends 6-8 servings or grain products such as bread, cereal, rice and pasta. One serving of grains includes 1 slice whole-wheat bread, 1 ounce of dry cereal, or 1/2 cup cooked cereal, rice or pasta. Whole grains are better choices because they have more fiber and nutrients than do refined grains
• Low or non fat diary products. In a 2000 calories per day basis, DASH recommends 2-3 servings or diary products such as milk, yogurt, and cheese. One serving includes 1 cup of skim or 1% milk, 1 cup of yogurt or 1.5 ounces of cheese.
• Lean meat, poultry, and fish.  In a 2000 calories per day basis, DASH recommends up to 6 servings. One serving includes 1 ounces of cooked skinless lean meat, poultry, or fish or 1 egg. Even lean varieties of meat my contain extra fat and cholesterol. So go easy on them.
• Seeds and nuts. DASH recommends 4-5 servings per week of seeds and nuts such as almonds, sunflower seeds, kidney beans, peas, and lentils. Serving sizes are small and are intended to be consumed weekly because these foods are high in calories. One serving includes 1/3 cup of nuts, 2 tablespoons seeds or 1/2 cup cooked beans or peas.
• Lower total fat with higher portion of unsaturated fat. In a 2000 calories per day basis, DASH recommends only 2-3 servings of fat. One serving includes 1 teaspoon of soft margarine, 1 tablespoon of low-fat mayonnaise or 2 tablespoons light salad dressing. Saturated fat and trans fat raises your blood cholesterol, especially the bad LDL cholesterol. Meat, butter, whole milk, cream, eggs, palm and coconut oils are high in saturated fat. Therefore, you would want to avoid them. 
• Reduce sweets and added sugars consumption. DASH recommends no more than 5 servings of sweets per week. One serving includes 1 tablespoon of sugar, jelly or jam or 1/2 cup of sorbet. 
• Limiting alcohol. DASH recommends that men limit alcohol to 2 or fewer drinks a day and women 1 or less.

To sum it all, the DASH eating plan emphasizes on a balanced diet, heavy on fruits and vegetables, with the right amount of protein, but lower in sodium and total fat.