10 Tips to Prevent Heart Disease and Stroke

Don’t treat your heart disease as your fate. Although there are some risk factors (family history, sex, age) that we are not able to control, there are some risk factors (healthy lifestyle) that we can control. Adopting a healthy lifestyle helps to prevent most of the heart disease in future. Here are some tips for you to prevent disease

Take responsibility for your health

The best method for the prevention against heart disease and stroke is to understand the risks and treatment options. The greatest chance of getting heart disease is your ignorance or misinformation. Hence the first step is to take responsibility for your health.

Know your risks

The most affecting risk factor for heart disease is “your age”. How older you are, the chance of getting heart disease will be greater. The secondly affecting risk factor for heart disease is “your genetic make-up”. We all heard that if your parents, grandparents, or other relatives were afflicted with or died of heart disease, diabetes or stroke, your chance of getting heart will be much greater.

Don't smoke or use tobacco

Carbon monoxide present in cigarette smoke can replace some of the oxygen in your blood causing an increase in your blood pressure and heart rate. As a result your heart has to work harder to supply enough oxygen. Hence cigarette smoking and second-hand exposure to smoke increases the chance for getting of heart disease and stroke. Chemicals in tobacco can cause coronary artery disease. Hence using tobacco increases the chance for getting of heart disease.

Maintain a healthy blood pressure

High blood pressure is called as “the silent killer”. High blood pressure (hypertension) can cause wear and tear for lining of your blood vessels (narrowing of blood vessels) resulting coronary artery disease. Hence higher your blood pressure, the greater will be your chance of getting heart disease.

Monitor your cholesterol

Abnormal or high cholesterol (fats) is regarded as a major contributing factor to cardiovascular disease. There are different types of cholesterol, and the types are

• LDL (bad cholesterol)
• HDL (good cholesterol or healthy cholesterol)
• Triglycerides

 For healthy heart, you should lower your LDL cholesterol and should increase your HDL cholesterol. The quantity of cholesterol present in your blood is determined by three factors:

• The amount of cholesterol produced by the liver (this factor is mostly genetic),
• The amount of cholesterol absorbed from the intestinal tract (some from you eat, but a lot from cholesterol produced by the liver and excreted into the digestive tract)
• Age – your cholesterol increases with age.

To raise your healthy cholesterol, here are some tips for you

• Ask for expert advice - your doctor can provide a plan for healthy eating and exercise.
• Give your diet a makeover – consume foods such as oatmeal, walnuts, tuna, salmon, sardines, and tofu. Avoid the foods that are rich in trans and saturated fats.
• Stop smoking – smoking will decrease your good cholesterol, so you should say bye to smoking
• Get moving- do regular exercise (for about half an hour). Exercise can lower your triglyceride levels and also can raise your HDL cholesterol. Both of these are good for your heart.
• Take your medications- Take your medicine to help lower your cholesterol directed by your doctor
• Try supplements – consuming high doses of fish oil or krill oil and fiber can lower your triglycerides and cholesterol. Soy protein supplements can lower LDL cholesterol. Take supplements only after asking your doctor.

Limit your calories

Obesity is caused by taking more calories than your body burns. Obesity cause cardiovascular disease. 

Make exercise a daily habit

The lack of exercise results in obesity. Exercise helps to burn calorie and also activates the genes that are beneficial to health in other ways. Along with these exercise is regarded as a treatment for depression and anxiety. However, exercise alone can’t reduce your weight, so you have to modify your diet along with exercise.

Pick your pills wisely

People believe in alternative medicines because of the way they are marketed. The main problem with many alternative medications is that the patient thinks they are doing something to improve health, when in fact they are not. 

Reduce stress

Stress is regarded as a contributing cardiovascular disease. You can reduce your stress by

• Regular exercise
• Adequate sleep
• Striving for a good marriage
• Laughing
• Volunteering or attending religious services Watching TV or hearing music
• Try to avoid situations or people who make you anxious or angry.

Stay informed: Science changes constantly

New techniques and new insights will develop constantly. But don’t believe every piece of “scientific information” you find in the media or advertisements