Heart health – world heart day
- By One Heart Clinic
- September 28, 2023
WORLD
HEART DAY
EACH DAY, THE HEART BEATS AROUND 100,000 TIMES A DAY, CONTINUOUSLY PUMPING AROUND 5 LITRES OF BLOOD AROUND YOUR BODY THROUGH THE CIRCULATORY SYSTEM. WHEN THE HEART AND CIRCULATORY SYSTEMS DO NOT WORK AS THEY SHOULD, THIS CAN LEAD TO CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE. IN THE UK, APPROXIMATELY 7.6 MILLION PEOPLE HAVE HEART OR CIRCULATORY CONDITIONS. IT IS A SIGNIFICANT CAUSE OF DISABILITY AND DEATH, ACCOUNTING FOR ONE IN FOUR PREMATURE DEATHS IN THE UK. THE RISK OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE IS INCREASED IF YOU HAVE HIGH RISK CONDITIONS SUCH AS HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE, HIGH CHOLESTEROL AND ATRIAL FIBRILLATION. OTHER RISK FACTORS INCLUDE DIABETES, A FAMILY HISTORY OF HEART DISEASE, OBESITY, INACTIVITY, AN UNHEALTHY DIET, AND SMOKING.
IN MANY CASES OF HEART DISEASE SUCH AS HEART ATTACK OR STROKE, LIFESTYLE CHANGES CAN BE MADE TO PREVENT THEM. SMALL CHANGES IN BEHAVIOUR NOW CAN MAKE A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN LOWERING ONE’S LIFETIME RISK OF DEVELOPING CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE.
TAKING OWNERSHIP OF YOUR HEART HEALTH NUMBERS IS KEY IN UNDERSTANDING YOUR RISK OF HEART DISEASE; UNDERSTANDING AND CONTROLLING YOUR CHOLESTEROL AND BLOOD PRESSURE READINGS IS FUNDAMENTAL TO HEART HEALTH AS HIGH NUMBERS CAN CONTRIBUTE AND CAUSE CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE AND HEART ATTACKS. IF YOUR CHOLESTEROL OR BLOOD PRESSURE IS HIGH, STEPS CAN BE TAKEN TO LOWER THEM.
MAINTAINING GOOD HEART HEALTH AS PART OF A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE CAN BE IMPLEMENTED BY ADOPTING A HEALTHY AND BALANCED DIET. EATING A DIET LOW IN SATURATED FAT, ADDED SUGARS AND SODIUM (SALT) ARE PROVEN TO REDUCE THE RISK OF HEART DISEASE. REMOVING THE SALTSHAKER FROM THE DINING TABLE, IN ADDITION TO CUTTING DOWN ON PROCESSED FOODS ARE EASY WAYS TO BEGIN LIVING A HEALTHIER LIFE. EATING A CARDIOPROTECTIVE DIET CONSISTING OF HIGH FIBRE FOODS SUCH AS WHOLE GRAINS, FRUITS AND VEGETABLES AS WELL AS UNSATURATED FATS, SUCH AS THOSE FOUND IN OLIVE OIL AND FISH, WILL ALSO HELP REDUCE ONE’S RISK OF DEVELOPING CORONARY HEART DISEASE.
FURTHERMORE, WEIGHT LOSS AIMING FOR A HEALTHY TARGET BODY MASS INDEX (BMI) WILL ALSO REDUCE THE RISKS OF DEVELOPING DIABETES AND HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE WHICH IN TURN CAN CONTRIBUTE AND CAUSE CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE.
SIMPLE FOOD SWAPS TO BE GOOD TO YOUR HEART INCLUDE REPLACING SATURATED FATS WITH SMALL AMOUNTS OF MONO AND POLYUNSATURATED FATS AND CUTTING DOWN ON TRANS FATS WHICH ARE OFTEN FOUND IN TAKEAWAYS. IT IS IMPORTANT TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THAT ALL FATS AND OILS ARE CALORIFIC, THEREFORE EVEN THE UNSATURATED FATS SHOULD BE USED IN MODERATION.
FOOD IS NOT THE ONLY INFLUENCE ON HEART HEALTH, AS DRINKING ALCOHOL EXCESSIVELY CAN CAUSE HEART DISEASE AND INCREASE BLOOD PRESSURE. ALCOHOL IS DIRECTLY TO THE HEART MUSCLE. BINGE DRINKING CAN PRECIPITATE AN INITIAL EPISODE OF ARRHYTHMIA (IRREGULAR HEARTBEAT); ONCE THIS FIRST EPISODE HAS OCCURRED, THE RISK OF HAPPENING AGAIN IS INCREASED. ALCOHOL CAN ALSO BE DANGEROUS IN THOSE WHO ALREADY HAVE ABNORMAL HEART RHYTHMS OR OTHER HEART MUSCLE CONDITIONS.
WORLD HEART
DAY
KEEPING THE BODY MOVING AND HEALTHY IS AN EFFECTIVE APPROACH TO PREVENTING OR MANAGING EXISTING CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE.
LIKE ANY OTHER MUSCLE IN THE BODY, THE HEART MUSCLE BENEFITS FROM REGULAR EXERCISE. MAKING THE HEART WORK HARDER BY DOING REGULAR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY SUCH AS BRISK WALKING OR SWIMMING PREVENTS HEART DISEASE.
SWAPPING YOUR CAR FOR WALKING IS A SIMPLE STEP IN REACHING THIS GOAL. REGULAR EXERCISE WILL RESULT IN THE HEART AND CIRCULATORY SYSTEM BEING MORE EFFICIENT, AS WELL AS LOWERING YOUR CHOLESTEROL AND MAINTAINING HEALTHY BLOOD PRESSURE. FURTHERMORE, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY HAS SEVERAL OTHER HEALTH BENEFITS SUCH AS LOWERING STRESS LEVELS AND REDUCING THE RISK OF DEPRESSION.
SMOKING IS A MAJOR RISK FACTOR FOR DEVELOPING HEART AND CIRCULATORY DISEASE. IF YOU SMOKE, QUITTING DECREASES YOUR RISK OF HEART ATTACK AND STROKE ALMOST IMMEDIATELY. ON AVERAGE, SMOKERS WHO QUIT SMOKING IN THEIR 30’S WILL ADD 10 YEARS TO THEIR LIFE.
WHILST TAKING PREVENTATIVE MEASURES TO LOWER YOUR RISK OF DEVELOPING HEART DISEASE, IT IS ALSO IMPORTANT TO CONSIDER THE LINK BETWEEN FAMILY HISTORY AND AN INCREASED RISK OF HEART DISEASE. ALTHOUGH AN UNMODIFIABLE FACTOR, GENETICS OFTEN HAVE A STRONG INFLUENCE ON ONES’ LIFETIME RISK OF DEVELOPING HEART PROBLEMS. BEING AWARE OF CONDITIONS IN YOUR FAMILY IS IMPORTANT IN ORDER TO IDENTIFY WHETHER YOU MAY BE AT HIGHER RISK OF FUTURE CARDIOVASCULAR PROBLEMS AND TAKE MEASURES TO REDUCE YOUR RISK
WHILST HEALTHY LIFESTYLE HABITS CAN HELP REDUCE THE PREVALENCE OF HEART DISEASE, SOME PEOPLE MAY NEED TO TAKE PRESCRIBED MEDICINE AS WELL. IT IS IMPERATIVE TO FOLLOW THE ADVICE OF YOUR DOCTOR AND TAKE MEDICINES AS DIRECTED. MEDICINES SHOULD BE TAKEN IN ADDITION TO LIFESTYLE CHANGES AND NOT INSTEAD OF THEM. IN FACT, A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE CAN IN FACT IMPROVE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF REQUIRED MEDICATION.
BY HAVING CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH CHECKS OR SCREENING WITH YOUR GP OR CARDIOLOGIST, YOUR RISK FACTORS FOR HEART DISEASE CAN BE REVIEWED AND A PLAN PUT IN PLACE TO OPTIMISE AND REDUCE YOUR LIFETIME CARDIOVASCULAR RISK.
BY BEING IN CONTROL OF YOUR HEART HEALTH AND TAKING PREVENTIVE MEASURES, YOU CAN LOWER YOUR RISK OF DEVELOPING HEART DISEASE AND ULTIMATELY IMPROVE YOUR OVERALL HEALTH AND WELLBEING. EVEN IF YOU ALREADY HAVE HEART DISEASE, LEADING A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE CAN REDUCE THE SEVERITY OF IT AND SUBSEQUENT POSSIBLE COMPLICATIONS.
DR JONATHAN BEHAR
Dr Jonathan Behar is a Consultant Cardiologist with a specialist interest in managing patients with heart rhythm disturbances. He works at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust where he is also a Senior Clinical Lecturer within the Department of Imaging Sciences, Kings College London.
Dr Behar sees patients with a range of cardiac complaints including palpitations, dizziness, blackouts, chest pain and breathlessness. He performs catheter ablations for a range of arrhythmias with a particular interest in new technologies for the treatment of atrial fibrillation. He is highly experienced in the implantation of cardiac devices (pacemakers, defibrillators and cardiac resynchronisation therapy) including the latest, miniaturised leadless pacemakers.
Dr Behar has a passion for addressing unmet clinical needs using novel tools and technologies. In 2022, he was selected by Health Education England to participate in the Topol Digital Fellowship working on the digital transformation of the consent process for patients undergoing cardiac procedures.