In Ukraine and most developed countries, diseases of the heart and blood vessels are the main cause of premature death. Each year, strokes and heart attacks take the lives of more than twelve million people. Only by changing your lifestyle, you can achieve an effect comparable to diagnosis and treatment with the help of expensive modern technologies. Read about the competent prevention of cardiovascular diseases in the article by Ksenia Yurievna Simbirtseva, a therapist at the ""Dobrobut"" Medical Center.
Diet for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases
Everyone knows that eating foods rich in cholesterol leads to the development of cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, one of the points of prevention of these ailments is a hypolipidemic diet. Scientists have proven that it is not so important to limit the consumption of fats as to use the ""right fats"". Patients who followed a ""Mediterranean diet"" that included olive oil and mixed nuts rich in unsaturated fats had a 30% lower risk of cardiovascular disease compared to those who only reduced animal fat intake. The latter, limiting the use of fats, as a rule, increase the intake of carbohydrates. Low-molecular, ""simple"" carbohydrates are especially dangerous.
If sugar in the diet is 10-25% of the total number of calories, then the risk of death from cardiovascular diseases increases by 30%. When the mass fraction of sugars exceeds 25%, the risk of mortality increases by 2.75 times. If we consider that the general norm is 2000 kcal per day, then 15% of sugars is equivalent to consuming 590 ml of sweet carbonated drink.
The WHO states that the share of sugars should not exceed ten percent of the daily caloric intake: this is equivalent to almost twelve teaspoons of granulated sugar per day. To quench thirst, it is recommended to use clean water.
Regarding such a drink as coffee: its negative effect on the heart is currently not proven. In addition, according to a meta-analysis of studies conducted in 2014 by Chinese scientists, people who regularly drink coffee are six percent less likely to develop atrial fibrillation than those who do not drink it. Coffee addicts almost never have persistent hypertension. Only with long-term consumption of more than one liter of coffee per day can the systolic pressure increase by 10 mm of mercury. However, it is not recommended to consume a drink with sugar and fat milk.
One more risk factor for the development of cardiovascular diseases is an excess of salt in the diet. According to research conducted in the US, 65% of the salt consumed by Americans comes from supermarket products. The number one product, when consumed, the body receives the most salt, is bread, because we eat it every day and in significant quantities. Therefore, it is recommended to prepare food at home, not to use semi-finished products and ready-made products containing salt as a preservative. Instead, to improve the taste, you can add herbs and spices to dishes.
For dessert, you can afford a piece of dark chocolate, the consumption of which helps to reduce damage to the vessel walls. Cocoa, which is abundant in dark chocolate, has a pronounced antioxidant effect. Regular consumption of chocolate reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases by 37%. However, it should be taken into account that this product is high in calories, the energy value of 100 g of dessert is 500 kcal. Therefore, to avoid weight gain, its use should be limited.
Physical activity is your main helper
Experts from Taiwan and the USA have come to the conclusion: daily physical activity lasting 15 minutes increases the average life expectancy by three years. During active sports, especially in the fresh air, the cells and tissues of the body are saturated with oxygen, blood circulation is activated, and the heart muscle is strengthened. Aerobic exercise is desirable, as this activity increases the heart rate (walking, running, skiing, cycling).
Scientists in The Copenhagen City Heart Study proved the importance of the mode and dosage of aerobic exercise. Thus, the greatest level of reduction in the risk of death from cardiovascular diseases was observed in those people who ran at a slow or moderate pace for two and a half hours a week, with a frequency of no more than three times every seven days. In those who ran at a fast pace for more than four hours a week and more often than three times a week, the positive effect of exercise relative to the reduction in mortality was nullified.
Physical activity will also help overcome bad heredity, which is the cause of abnormal blood pressure in about 35-65% of cases. According to scientists, if people with a burdened family history walk at least 2.4 hours a week at a fast pace, this will reduce the risk of developing this pathology by 26%.
It is better to start prevention of cardiovascular diseases from childhood, when stereotypes of behavior and lifestyle are established. But at any age you can take steps to change. Start eating healthy foods, stop smoking, and increase physical activity to reduce your risk of heart disease.
To make an appointment with a doctor, contact the contact center of Dobrobut Medical Center: 044 495 2 888 or 097 495 2 888.
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