Healthy Body, Happy Heart

Improve Your Heart Health Every moment of the day, your kernel is pumping blood throughout your body. In silent moments, you can hear the thump-thump-thump of its necessitate work. Do you take your heart for granted ? Most of us will have affection trouble at some point in our lives. Heart disease is the number one killer of women and men in the United States. But you can take steps now to lower your gamble .
“ About 1 out of 3 people in America will die of heart disease, ” says NIH heart disease adept Dr. David C. Goff, Jr. “ And about 6 out of every 10 of us will have a major kernel disease consequence before we die. ”
Heart disease develops when the blood vessels supplying the heart become clog with fatty deposits, or plaque. After the blood vessels narrow, blood flow to the heart is reduced. That means oxygen and nutrients can ’ deoxythymidine monophosphate catch to the heart as easily.

finally, an area of plaque can break candid. This may cause a blood clot to form on the plaque ’ s surface. A blood clot can block blood flowing to the heart. That can cause a heart attack .
A heart attack happens when a vessel supplying the center is blocked and the heart can ’ triiodothyronine get enough oxygen, which leads to death of heart muscle .
The three major risk factors for heart disease have been known since the 1960s : smoking, high lineage imperativeness, and high cholesterol levels. These were identified in NIH ’ s Framingham Heart Study, a long-run analyze of people in Framingham, Massachusetts .
“ If we could eliminate cigarette smoking, elevated lineage pressure, and elevated cholesterol levels, we could eradicate about 9 out of 10 center attacks in our area, ” says Dr. Daniel Levy, a heart specialist at NIH who oversees the Framingham Heart Study presently .
The study has besides uncovered other gamble factors, including diabetes, fleshiness, and physical inaction. Levy ’ s inquiry team is nowadays hunting for genesStretches of DNA, a kernel you inherit from your parents, that define characteristics such as your gamble for certain diseases. that may be risk factors for affection disease. By understanding the factors that play a role in heart disease, scientists hope to find modern ways to prevent and treat it .

Get Tested

early heart disease may not cause any symptoms. That ’ randomness why regular checkup with your doctor are so authoritative .
“ The sad truth is that the huge majority of us has affection disease and we don ’ t know it, ” Goff says .
Blood atmospheric pressure and cholesterol levels can provide early signs. “ People should see their doctor, find out their cholesterol and blood pressure numbers, and if needed, take medication, ” advises Goff .
There are many other tests to detect kernel disease. An electro-cardiogram, besides called an EKG or ECG, measures electrical activity in your heart. It can show how well your heart is working and pick up signs of a previous heart attack .
Another test called an echocardiogram uses good waves to detect problems. It shows the size, human body, and structures of your heart. It can besides measure blood flow through your heart .
Although early center disease might not cause symptoms, advance heart disease may cause chest pressure, shortness of breath, or fatigue. Some people may feel lightheaded, airheaded, or confused. Tell your doctor if you ’ re experiencing any symptoms .

Make Healthy Choices

talk with your doctor of the church about your hazard of heart disease and what you can do to keep your center healthy.

“ The most crucial things for everyone to do to keep their heart healthy—to keep their entire body healthy—is to eat a goodly diet, get enough of physical bodily process, maintain a list body weight, and avoid fume and exposure to secondhand smoke, ” Goff says .
Following a heart-healthy eating plan is authoritative for everyone. “ When person puts food on their plate, about half the plate should be fruits and vegetables. About a quarter of the plate should be whole grain. And about a quarter should be lean protein, like lean kernel or seafood, ” says Goff .
If you have high blood blackmail, you may want to follow the DASH ( Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension ) diet. This diet emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole-grain foods, and low-fat dairy products. To learn more about the diet, see www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/dash .
Goff besides advises, “ Avoid foods that have a lot of salt in them. Salt is a major contributor to high blood pressure and hazard of heart disease. ”

Prevent Diabetes

Diabetes increases your chances of high lineage pressure and high cholesterol. You ’ re besides more likely to develop heart disease and have a heart attack .
“ Having diabetes is about like already having heart disease, ” says Dr. Larissa Avilés-Santa, a diabetes and heart health adept at NIH. She oversees a bombastic NIH learn of heart disease risk factors among more than 16,000 Hispanic/Latino adults .
Avilés-Santa says that sometimes people think that they will develop diabetes and heart disease no count what they do. But that ’ s not true. even if you have a family history of these diseases, you can be the messenger of effective health for your family, she says. You can help your family by inspiring healthy habits .
The best way to prevent diabetes is through diet and physical natural process. “ The attest is outstanding that identical modest changes in life style could reduce the hazard of developing diabetes much greater than medication, ” Avilés-Santa says .

Get Help

For some people, having a center approach is the first gestural of heart disease. pain or discomfort in your thorax or upper body, a cold sweat, or shortness of breath are all signs of a heart attack .
If you feel any of these signs, get medical avail right aside. Acting fast can save your biography and prevent permanent wave damage .
Heart disease and affection attacks are major risk factors for cardiac halt, which is when the heart suddenly stops beating. Blood stops flowing to the brain and other parts of the torso. If not treated within minutes, cardiac apprehension can lead to end.

Heart disease and heart attacks can besides make it harder for your heart ’ s electric system to work. As a solution, an irregular pulse, or cardiac arrhythmia, can occur. Your heart may beat besides flying, excessively slow, or with an odd rhythm. A dangerous cardiac arrhythmia can lead to cardiac collar .
unconstipated checkups help ensure that a doctor will check your heart for problems. Heart disease and cardiac arrhythmia can be treated to lower the hazard of cardiac arrest .
Be dear to your heart. Don ’ t take it for granted. Get tested for heart disease, and follow your doctor ’ mho suggestions. See the sidebar for questions you may want to ask your sophisticate .