Heart and circulatory diseases are among the biggest killers in the UK, causing around a quarter of all deaths every year. Of these, coronary heart disease is the most common type, which occurs when arteries become narrowed by a build-up of fatty substances along their walls. If not treated, this can have a devastating impact on the body.
There are a number of factors that can raise your risk of heart disease, including having an unhealthy diet, smoking, drinking too much alcohol and high cholesterol levels. Not exercising enough can also contribute.
Lead GP for online health clinic Numan, Doctor Luke Pratsides, explained: “Exercise is a key habit to form and continue throughout your life to reduce your risk of heart disease.
“Exercise that is beneficial to heart health can be in the form of high intensity activity, where your heart is beating fast and you are out of breath, so unable to hold a conversation, or in the moderate intensity activity where you can feel your heart beating faster but you can still hold a conversation.
“The recommendation is for either two hours of high intensity activity split across the week or 30 minutes of moderate intensity activity for five days in the week.”
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He also voiced concerns about spending too much time sitting, which is common if you have a desk-based job.
However, just two or three breaks from your desk a day could reduce your risk of heart disease, he said.
“Modern life means we are far more sedentary than we should be,” Doctor Pratsides said.
“Many people have jobs that involve sitting for prolonged periods, particularly roles that involve work on a computer.
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“There is a plethora of evidence that demonstrates an increased risk of heart attacks, strokes and heart failure, for those that sit down for the majority of their day. Simply standing up more can help reduce this risk.
“You could build more movement into your day by having a standing desk, standing up when you are on the phone or building in two or three breaks during your working day where you walk outside for at least 15 minutes.”
He also shared more tips on how to stay heart healthy.
Don’t smoke – Smoking puts you at significant risk of heart disease as it damages blood vessels, causing the walls of blood vessels to stiffen and fatty plaques to build up in arteries that can lead to reduced blood supply to major organs, like the heart leading to a heart attack, or the brain leading to a stroke, in later life.
You can improve levels of HDL cholesterol by increasing your consumption of “healthy fats” in moderation, such as nuts, avocado and oily fish.
“Unhealthy fats” are high in “bad” cholesterol – this is known as low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and this increases the risk of heart disease.
Foods to cut down on or have rarely high in LDL cholesterol are animal products and in particular processed meat and dairy products.
The main symptoms of coronary heart disease are:
- Chest pain (angina)
- Shortness of breath
- Pain throughout the body
- Feeling faint
- Feeling sick (nausea).
Avoid excessive alcohol – Do not go above the recommended maximum of 14 units a week for both men and women.
Prolonged heavy drinking including binge drinking can lead to damage to the heart muscle known as cardiomyopathy, which leads to reduced heart function and heart failure.
Eating a healthy diet – A diet that is low in saturated fats will help reduce the fatty plaque build-up in arteries allowing for optimal blood flow to vital organs later in life.
Foods that contain “healthy fats” and “good” cholesterol, known as high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, help reduce the risk of heart disease.
