By doing sports and sex, you help your heart - the body oxygenates better. Quit smoking, change to a lighter diet that will lower cholesterol, stop stressing and overworking. Finally, take care of yourself. This will ward off the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Prevention is the most important!
Myocardial infarctionis a necrosis of a fragment of the heart muscle caused by its ischemia, usually due to coronary artery disease. The cause may be atherosclerosis, i.e. a narrowing of the lumen of blood vessels due to the formation of clusters of blood platelets. But not only. The crockery can also shrink in a dangerous way, e.g. due to sudden nervousness. The effect is the same: our blood doesn't reach our pump, and we have a heart attack. Their formation is prevented by the use of cardiological doses of aspirin, the so-called aspirin for the heart. It is worth knowing that 8-10% of people after a myocardial infarction will have another cardiovascular event within a year.
Cholesterol and company, or the basic causes of a heart attack
"Bad" cholesterol (LDL) particles build up in the walls of blood vessels in the form of plaque. After some time, the vessel becomes so narrowed (and even closed completely) that the blood cannot reach theof the heart . Clinical studies have shown that too highcholesterollevels can be lowered by maintaining a proper diet and exercising systematically. As a result of the use of a vegetarian (without animal fats) or Mediterranean (significantly reducing animal fats) diets, 5-15 percent is possible. lower cholesterol. Just replace the butter and lard with vegetable fats - preferably olive oil - to reduce blood cholesterol by a few percent. If we practice at least five times a week for half an hour, we also have a chance to lower its level. In consultation with your doctor, it is worth taking prophylactic preparations lowering cholesterol (eg CRP) and those that affect blood clotting (eg aspirin protect, bestpirin, acard). These are over-the-counter drugs, which does not mean that they are devoid of side effects - especially preparations with acetylsalicylic acid. If we do not have to, because according to the doctor we are not at risk of a heart attack, we should not take any medications prophylactically. But if the doctor decides that we should takethis type of preparations - let's reach for them.
Heart attack and heredity
Cases of heart disease in the immediate family are among the factors that increase the risk of myocardial infarction. In such a situation, a set of preventive examinations should be performed (including cholesterol and sugar levels in the blood, blood pressure and ECG - after the age of 40 every 1-3 years), and in justified cases, at the doctor's request, the level of the so-called markers of heart attack risk to find out if we are at risk of a heart attack. The tendency to do so can be inherited, which means we may or may not get sick. The risk will be lower with a he althy lifestyle.
Smoking significantly increases the risk of having a heart attack
There are over 4,000 in nicotine smoke harmful substances. They harm not only the lungs but also the circulatory system. Among other things, they increase blood clotting, the tendency of platelets to stick together, and accelerate the atherosclerotic process, i.e. the accumulation of cholesterol in the walls of the arteries. If we smoke, and at the same time we are also affected by other risk factors for a heart attack - e.g. diabetes, high cholesterol or hypertension - we may end up having a heart attack. The point, however, is to really break the addiction, not just reduce smoking or replace ordinary cigarettes with the so-called lighty. If we really want to minimize the risk of a heart attack - give up smoking altogether.
Stress and overwork are often the direct causes of a heart attack
Mental overload is conducive to many heart diseases, and severe stress can be the direct cause of a heart attack. In addition, people who work a lot and have a stressful job also often smoke cigarettes and drink a lot of strong coffee. And such a mixture adversely affects the circulatory system and the heart. In order not to get the worst, sometimes it is worth considering changing to a calmer job, or at least spending less time on it and more rest. A new disease entity appeared in Japan - it is death from overwork, called karoshi. Although we are far from the local pace of life, there are also more and more people working twelve hours a day and spending weekends in the office in Poland. Remember about karoshi, make a profit and loss account, and then make the right decision. Let's think about who will benefit from our hard-earned achievements?
ImportantRegardless of the rational lifestyle you lead, watch your body's reactions so that you do not miss the symptoms that threaten you with a heart attack.
If you get tired faster, sometimes you feel stuffy, sometimes your heart beats unevenly , you have a fast heart rate or it happenedfaint or even pass out - you should talk to your doctor. These complaints may be a sign of a heart problem. And if you experience chest pains in the area of the sternum during exercise, you need to see a cardiologist as soon as possible.
Heart attack prevention - sport and … sex
The heart muscle never rests. When it speeds up work, for example during sports or sex, the entire body is much better oxygenated. From the point of view of prophylaxis, the best exercises are endurance exercises, such as brisk walking, swimming or cycling. It is mainly about moderate effort, which leads to slight fatigue, sweating, faster breathing, but at the same time it does not force the heart. Better to exercise more often but less intensively. Only young, he althy people can afford a single, considerable effort for 1-2 hours. Others should follow the rule of 30-60 minutes daily, at a moderate pace and not too high intensity. During exercise, the heart rate should not be higher than 180 minus age, e.g. for a 30-year-old it is 180 minus 30, i.e. 150 per minute. Remember that the most important thing is regular exercise. If you have a he althy heart, even vigorous exercise in the gym will not hurt. However, one must not fall for anabolic steroids, which are supposed to make a man superman. There are all indications that the athletes who use them (the so-called pharmacological doping) or compulsive gym enthusiasts are more susceptible to myocardial infarctions than other mortals. Doctors also emphasize that having sex has a positive effect on the circulatory system. First, it involves some exercise that is beneficial for the heart. Secondly, it allows you to relieve tension and reduce stress. But not in all conditions. There are deaths during or immediately after the act. If, for example, someone has undiagnosed coronary artery disease and decided to contact a random person in a random place, the tension and stress accompanying the rapprochement may have a negative effect on the heart. So when it comes to heart attack prevention: sex - yes, but less unhe althy emotions and … faithfulness.
You must do itCardiologists have concluded that the best diet for the heart is the diet used by the inhabitants of the Mediterranean countries. Here are the most important commandments of this kitchen:
- Eat 3-5 light meals a day.
- Include vegetables and fruits in each meal (approx. 1 kg per day). Legumes (e.g. beans, peas, broad beans, soybeans, lentils) are especially important - a rich source of protein that successfully replaces that from meat.
- Consume two tablespoons of olive oil daily, e.g. for salads, frying. Exclude lard from your diet, keep butter to a minimum.
- Eat fish and poultry (a source of low-fat protein) 2-4 times a week (about 100 g per serving). Fish is also rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which protect the heart.
- Replace sweets with fruit, and use red meat as a flavor, not the basis of the meal. Then, about 30 g per person added to vegetables or pasta is enough.
- Eat whole grain breads, pasta, rice, and couscous (the core of the wheat grain). Add our coarse-grained groats to it.
- Drink low-fat yoghurt (a glass a day) and eat cheese (including goat and sheep cheese) - valuable sources of calcium.
- Following the southerners' pattern, limit s alt and use a lot of herbs, garlic, and onions.
- Do not season your soups or sauces with cream, flour or roux. If anything, thicken the food with e.g. grated bread.
- Drink at least six glasses of fluid a day, preferably still mineral water. You can also afford a glass of red wine.
Necessary tests to determine the risk of a heart attack
Even teenagers should do basic research: the so-called the lipid profile, which is the concentration of total cholesterol in the blood, its LDL ("bad") and HDL ("good") fractions and triglycerides. In addition, it is good to measure blood pressure, fasting blood sugar (glucose), control body weight and calculate the so-called BMI (Body Mass Index). Divide your weight (in kilograms) by your height (in meters) squared. A BMI of 25 to 30 is overweight and suggests losing a few pounds. When it is higher than 30, it indicates obesity that needs to be treated, preferably under the supervision of a specialist.
It is also worth getting an EKG before the age of 40, preferably exercise ECG. Early examinations, first of all, allow to detect abnormalities and determine whether we are at increased risk of a heart attack, and secondly, thanks to them, the doctor can quickly order appropriate treatment or prophylaxis. And this can save us from a heart attack.
The most important risk factors for myocardial infarction
Check if they concern you.
- High Cholesterol
- Hypertension
- High blood sugar
- Increased level of the so-called heart attack risk markers: homocysteine, C-reactive protein, fibrinogen and lipoprotein A
- Smoking (even a few "lights" a day)
- Untreated depression
- Long-term stress that we cannot relieve
- Significantly overweight and obese
- Nonephysical activity
- Alcohol abuse
- Age (over 45 for men and 55 for women)
- Family inclinations (heredity)
If at least two factors apply to you, you are at increased risk of having a heart attack.
Eating animal fats increases the risk of having a heart attack
Scientific research shows that there is a close relationship between the amount of animal fats consumed and the incidence of cardiovascular diseases, including heart attacks. The so-called saturated fats (trans isomers contained in e.g. hardened margarines). They increase blood clotting, and thus promote the deposition of atherosclerotic plaque in the walls of arteries and the formation of clots that, if detached, can clog the artery and block blood flow to the heart (and this is one of the causes of a heart attack).
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