Beware of the 3 Major Landmines of Heart Disease! Don’t Have Taboos on High-fat Foods and Sweets? Sedentary People and the Elderly Are High-risk Groups
The heart is like a generator of the human body, transporting oxygen and nutrients to various organs and tissues at any time. If you do not adopt correct living and dietary habits for a long time, and ignore the landmines that induce heart disease in your life, you are very likely to develop heart disease early.
As age increases, especially for the elderly, not only does the elasticity of blood vessels begin to deteriorate and the ventricles thicken, but the risk of cardiovascular disease also increases. With today’s poor diet and lifestyle, the age at which heart disease is more likely to occur in recent years has also increased. Rapid downward trend. This article will tell you about the three major landmines of heart disease and how to prevent them, so that you can avoid the threat of heart disease in one fell swoop!
Three major minefields of heart disease
1: High-fat, high-sodium, high-sugar diet
Refined starch can easily cause blood sugar in the body to rise rapidly. When too much sugar enters adipose tissue, it forms triglycerides, commonly known as lipids. As for foods containing refined starch such as pastries and breads, or donuts, chocolates, sugary drinks, etc., since a large amount of sugar and oil are often added during production, if you eat them habitually or even every day, you will consume too many calories. Causes obesity, which increases the risk of heart disease.
Fried foods such as salty crispy chicken and chicken steak, or instant noodles, these seemingly delicious foods are high in oil and sodium, which are also prone to obesity, high blood pressure, hyperlipidemia and other problems. In the long run, you may also suffer from diseases heart disease.
Generally speaking, foods high in oil, sodium or sweets can easily cause heart disease and increase blood lipids, which can lead to lipid deposition in blood vessels and thicken blood vessel walls. If ignored for a long time, it may lead to atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease. Even a stroke.
Therefore, it is recommended to keep in mind the dietary strategy of “three more and three less”, drink more water, eat more fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and adopt a diet with less oil, less salt, and less sugar, which can help with weight control. Prevention of heart disease comes to your doorstep.
2: Sedentary and not exercising for a long time
Due to the deterioration of physical fitness or body functions, many elderly people prefer to sit at home and watch TV instead of exercising, or young people are keen on online games and watching TV dramas but do not do physical activities. However, they do not know that sitting for long periods of time may have a negative impact on skeletal muscle protein and lipids. The enzyme activity produces a considerable inhibitory effect, causing the muscles to locally reduce the absorption of triglycerides (Triglycerides) in the plasma, thereby reducing the concentration of high-density lipoprotein (HDL good cholesterol), which will increase the risk of heart disease. .
In addition, prolonged sitting can also reduce the body’s sensitivity to insulin, affect carbohydrate metabolism, and reduce muscle glucose uptake, causing blood sugar levels to rise. Over a long period of time, excess sugar in the blood will bind to the proteins on the blood vessel walls, damaging the free radicals on the blood vessel walls, making the blood vessel walls rougher.
In order to repair the blood vessel walls, the number of white blood cells and platelets in the blood vessels will also increase, which may eventually cause myocardial infarction, cardiovascular sclerosis, stroke and other diseases. For the elderly, in addition to the above risks, about 10% of 60-year-olds will suffer from sarcopenia, which is also prone to fractures, poor metabolism and other related diseases.
In order to prevent the occurrence of heart disease, it is recommended to exercise for at least 150 minutes a week. Develop a good habit of regular exercise. Relatively gentle but extremely helpful exercise such as riding a bicycle, climbing stairs, brisk walking, jogging, etc., if it can be continued for about 30 to 40 days For more than 1 minute, it not only helps to promote blood circulation, but also improves cardiopulmonary and vascular function.
If you find it difficult to engage in the above-mentioned sports, you might as well incorporate them into your daily leisure activities or household chores to increase your chances of exercising. For example, take the stairs instead of taking the elevator; when taking public transportation, choose to get off 1 to 2 stops before your destination to increase walking time; walk or ride a bicycle instead of driving for short distances, or do more mopping or gardening, etc. Household matters.
3: Smoking
According to NHS data, compared with non-smokers, smokers have a 2 to 7 times higher risk of death from cardiovascular disease. They may also expose their family members to second-hand smoke for a long time, increasing their chances of suffering from heart disease and stroke.
Because cigarettes contain chemicals such as nicotine, they will accelerate arteriosclerosis, make the blood thicker and make blood vessels less elastic. Once blocked, it will cause myocardial infarction and ischemic stroke; if the blood vessel ruptures, it will lead to hemorrhagic stroke.
The NHS points out that the health benefits of quitting smoking have been confirmed by many studies. 20 minutes after smokers quit smoking, their blood pressure can be reduced and their heartbeat can slow down to a normal frequency. Eight hours after quitting smoking, the concentration of nicotine and carbon monoxide in the blood is halved. Oxygen concentrations return to normal values; 2 weeks to 3 months after quitting smoking, the risk of heart disease begins to decrease and lung function begins to improve.
One year after quitting smoking, the risk of coronary heart disease can be reduced by half, and five years after quitting, the risk of stroke can be reduced to the same as that of a non-smoker.