Anti Aging Tips|Facts|Products

Heart Health Facts

July 10th, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed

Heart attacks, heart disease, high cholesterol, good cholesterol, bad cholesterol, high blood pressure and low blood pressure we have all heard of them but do we really know why they are important.

Contrary to popular belief most heart disease actually occurs in the arteries which are responsible for carrying the fresh oxygenated blood, nutrients, and toxins to your organs. This is important to note because it is the toxins and stressors such as high blood pressure that are the starting point for cardiovascular problems.

When the inside layer of your artery is subjected to such things as toxins damage occurs and a wound is essentially formed. Just as with your skin tissue, the tissues in your arteries trigger a defensive reaction to attempt to heal the damaged area. Your immune cells immediately begin to absorb LDL (bad) cholesterol in the tissue layers which ultimately causes inflammation. In further response the HDL (good) cholesterol attempts to rid the area of the LDL cholesterol which is damaging. At the same time macrophages (large immune cells) join the fight and absorb the LDL cholesterol in the damaged tissue, as they fill with fat they attach to the wall of the artery and you now have an arterial plaque.

This plaque is harmful and potentially deadly for a few reasons. First as the plaque continues to grow it causes a partial blockage in the artery allowing less blood to get through. Secondly and more devastating is the possibility of it turning into a clot that causes a total blockage of the artery. Thirdly is the scenario of a piece breaking away and causing a blockage somewhere away from the former wound site causing a stroke (blockage in or to brain) or a heart attack (blockage of vessels supplying the heart muscle).

There are of course several proactive actions that you can incorporate into your life in order to fight back and improve your cardiovascular health.

1. Exercise is of course a biggie. Your heart is a muscle and like all muscle in your body, if you do not use it you lose it. In order to keep your heart in shape it is fundamental that you work it which means cardio exercises. It is important to get your heart rate up and working at 80% of its maximum rate for at least 20 minutes three to four times a week. There are many inexpensive gadgets on the market that will keep track of your heart rate for you while you are working out, so that you do not have to attempt to take your own pulse when you are just trying to survive your workout. To find your maximum heart rate simply subtract your age from 220 and you have it. The heart rate you are aiming for is 80% of the number you get therefore the formula is:

(220 - age) x .8 = heart you are aiming for

2. A healthy diet is a must. We must stay away from the saturated fats and the trans fats and instead focus on eating a balanced diet. The food group that is neglected by most individuals is the fruits and vegetables most do not eat enough on a daily basis. The grains and cereals is also neglected is the sense that the proper kind is over looked, high calorie starchy foods do not make the cut.

Two specific foods that are a must are extra virgin olive oil and foods containing omega -3 fatty acids which are found in fish such as salmon, catfish or whitefish and the plants that fish eat. The nutrients found in extra virgin olive oil will help to raise your HDL (good) cholesterol. By the same token omega-3 fatty acids help to reduce triglycerides in the blood which cause plaque. Omega-3 fatty acids also decrease blood pressure and also make blood platelets less sticky reducing unwanted clotting.

For a complete list of the foods and nutrients that are important in staying healthy have a look at Necessary Vitamins To Supplement Your Diet
3. You may have seen the commercials now on TV that are stressing the fact that oral health is important to over all health, this is indeed true. Flossing regularly actually helps prevent heart disease because it gets rid of the bacteria that cause inflammation.