10 tips for a healthy heart – Dr. Hilary Jones tells MSN -
If you're the type of person who's always putting off starting a new exercise
regime or giving up the cigarettes, time could well be running out.
"Even in their 20s, young men are already developing changes to heart muscle
and vessels that supply the heart - changes which can lead to the development
of hardened arteries and other life-threatening conditions," warns Dr Hilary.
"Everything gets more exaggerated as you get older - cholesterol build up
becomes more of a problem, we become more sedentary and our reaction to stress
is slower, and by continuing with unhealthy habits, you risk being too late to
do anything to correct any problems - for example, it could be too late to stop
hardening of the arteries or do operations on coronary arteries, for example,
or you could already have developed diabetes."
It's hardly surprising that some of the best food items for a healthy heart are
fruit and vegetables.
"Tomatoes are brilliant," says Dr Hilary. "They contain active ingredients
which prevent blood platelets becoming too sticky, and they're rich in fibre
too. Bananas are rich in sustained energy but low in fat, so they offer a
healthy energy boost. They're also rich in potassium which provides a better
source of salt than sodium salt. Broccoli is great because it's high in fibre
and iron, versatile for cooking and low in fat, and kidney beans are good for
polyunsaturated oils and other healthy oils."
"Along with fizzy drinks, coffee is one of the worst drinks for your heart,"
explains nutritionist Lorna Driver-Davies. "Caffeine and fizzy drinks speed up
the heart rate and contract the blood vessels to push up blood pressure."
Cutting down on the lager can also make a huge difference, says Lorna. "A pint
of lager contains about 170 calories, so six pints equates to over 1,000
calories, meaning that you're consuming almost half your recommended daily
energy intake in 'empty calories' - calories that provide no other nutritional
value. This can lead to rapid weight gain, especially 'around the middle',
which is linked to heart disease."
"Saturated fat in food is a major cause of heart disease," says Dr Hilary. "Our
diets today are so rich in fatty food, whether it's fatty meat, full-fat dairy
products or fast food. If we can cut down on saturated fats we'd be much
healthier." Where possible, opt for low-fat dairy products and swap chocolate
bars and crisps for healthier treats. "Margarines containing plant sterols -
which can lower cholesterol - can be useful when it comes to combating heart
disease," says Dr Hilary
When it comes to maintaining a healthy heart, the best kind of exercise is
aerobic exercise, to get the heart pumping," says Dr Hilary. "Basically
anything that gets you out of breath for more than 20 minutes at a time -
vigorous swimming, cycling or running."
Fat burning exercises are especially important. "The main reasons that heart
disease is so common in the UK are poor diet and the fact that we have an
epidemic of obesity - we're now carrying around a lot more weight than we
should. Extra fat acts like an extra organ which produces more hormones, making
our bodies more resistant to insulin."
If you're a fan of salt, look for other ingredients to add flavour to food."Opt
for fresh herbs and spices to add flavour to your cooked foods, instead of
salt," advises nutritionist Cassandra Barns. "For salads, use alternative
dressings and natural flavourings such as lemon juice, balsamic or apple cider
vinegar. A better alternative to a normal table salt is one that replaces some
of the sodium with potassium, such as Lo-Salt or Solo Salt. Solo salt also
contains magnesium, which is helpful for maintaining healthy blood pressure."
There are several supplements which are useful for maintaining a healthy
heart.B vitamins can help to lower homocysteine - an amino acid which can
increase the risk of heart disease.
Vitamin E can help prevent the blood from becoming too sticky, and fish oils
such as Omega 3 and Omega 6 are a great source of essential fatty acids, which
produce prostaglandins - a lipid compound that helps to regulate heartbeat.
Co-enzyme Q10 helps to protect the heart, and magnesium helps to keep blood
pressure down and regulate the heart's rhythm.
Fruit and vegetables are essential for a healthy heart, but if you struggle to
fit in your five a day, opt for juice drinks, instead. Pomegranate juice can
help you avoid heart disease because it prevents thickening of the arteries and
stops blood platelets sticking together - a major cause of heart attacks.
One example of a pomegranate-based drink is Sirco - a fruit drink that also
contains an ingredient derived from tomatoes, known as Fruitflow, which
prevents platelets becoming sticky.
"Sirco is the first and only 100% pure fruit juice scientifically proven to
help maintain cardiovascular heath and benefit circulation of the blood," says
Dr Hilary. "More people now recognise that cholesterol furs and causes
narrowing of the arteries, but they don't understand that it's the thrombus or
blood clot, caused by platelet aggregation - platelets getting sticky - that
causes potentially fatal heart attacks and strokes, and this is where drinks
such as Sirco can help."
Stop cancer stick – smoking.
