Tragically, 25% of all deaths in America are caused by heart disease – which accounts for over 385,000 deaths a year. As well as causing widespread distress, the financial ramifications of these mortality rates are serious, as Americans are presently spending a colossal $108 billion a year on heart-disease related treatments and medications.
However whilst these figures are high, a number of lifestyle adjustments can be undertaken to help people avoid the onset of heart-related diseases. For instance: if you wish to avoid heart-disease it is wise to stop smoking. Smoking reduces oxygen-supply to your heart, narrows blood-vessels and places great burdens on the heart and how it functions. Retaining a sensible weight can also help to reduce the onset of heart-disease, by allowing arteries to work effectively – which can also be damaged by the accumulation of unhealthy salt-levels and cholesterol’s. Heart-health can also be vastly improved by the avoidance of fats present on margarine’s and butters; however, some margarine’s are good for you, as they are packed with fatty acids and omega-3 acids. As with many other aspects of health and wellbeing, it’s always beneficial to avoid saturated fats and eat high-levels of fibre. Foods packed with fibre and other nutrients will reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and help lower the onset of cardiac-events.
As well as making changes to your diet, other adjustments to your lifestyle will also help, such as: taking regular exercise to ensure that blood-flow is efficient and productive, reducing alcohol to ensure the heart is able to circulate blood around the body regularly, consuming vitamins such as iron and Vitamin E, to assist cardiovascular-function, and using herbal supplements such as turmeric and bilberry – which can help to regulate blood-pressure.
As well as helping to protect your heart from the onset of disease, these measures will also help you to manage stress and anxiety, and will be good for your wellness in general.
Comments are closed.