The Heartland Spa
You've seen the awful numbers: Coronary Heart Disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in this country. CHD, in which the arteries that supply the heart with blood become stiff and clogged with plaque, can lead to heart attack, angina, congestive heart failure and heart-rhythm disturbances, and is associated with hypertension (high blood pressure), probably the biggest preventable killer in the US.
So, should you start worrying about the state of your heart? No, but you can certainly start doing something about it: most heart disease in this country is directly related to lifestyle, and most CHD could be prevented by lifestyle changes.
While a few strong risk factors for heart disease are inherited or related to infection, researchers believe that the occurrence of heart disease would be reduced by fully 80 percent if the American population performed its own preventative "triple bypass" - not smoking, eating better and exercising more.
Three steps to minimizing your heart risk:
Don't Smoke
The dangers of smoking are so well known that all we'll say here is that many more smokers die from heart disease than from lung cancer. Smoking is probably the worst single thing you can do to your heart. Period.
Eat Right
Proper diet can help you manage your weight, regulate blood cholesterol and blood sugar and maintain low levels of homocysteine (a rogue amino acid strongly associated with heart disease). Some major components of a heart-healthy diet:
Eat sensibly to achieve and maintain a healthy weight. Watch portion sizes, limit fat, sugar and salt, and skip the junk food. Obesity is a risk factor for heart disease - and for diabetes, a condition which is yet another major heart-disease risk.
Emphasize fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, low fat dairy products, and nuts and seeds. A diet based on these disease-preventing foods can be delicious, varied and satisfying, and has been shown to lower incidence of heart disease.
Reduce your intake of animal fats and trans-fats (margarine and shortening) by limiting your consumption of red meat and poultry, egg yolk, butter, cream, full-fat cheese and "polyunsaturated anything oil." Be especially vigilant about the hidden trans-fats in fried foods, chips, crackers and cookies.
Emphasize healthy fats by using olive oil, enjoying avocados and nuts, and eating several servings of fish - especially oily fish like salmon and herring - every week.
Eat plenty of dark green, leafy vegetables (like collards, kale and chard), or consider taking a B-vitamin supplement with folic acid. Folic acid lowers homocysteine levels, and many of us don't get enough of it.
Be reasonable in your consumption of coffee, alcohol and soft-drinks.
Be moderate even about moderation - make changes you can live with and don't worry about the occasional indulgence. It's what you do every day that counts for your heart; what you do once in a while is irrelevant.
Exercise Regularly
Walking and other aerobic activities have long been recognized for their heart benefits; new evidence suggests that weight-training - which builds muscle mass and helps protect bones against mineral loss - can be just as effective.
One recent study of middle-aged men showed that strength training worked as well as aerobic exercise in increasing "good' cholesterol and lowering the "bad" kind, and was nearly as effective as aerobics in lowering blood pressure. In addition, any form of regular physical activity can help decrease heart risk by relieving stress, improving mood and contributing to a good night's sleep.
Chronic sleep deprivation, depression and anxiety are major heart risks - and regular exercise can do as much for the mind as for the body. When it comes to heart disease, prevention is so much easier than the cure. You owe it to yourself and to the people who love you to do what you can to bypass cardiac surgery.
