The truth of the matter is you only have one heart, and ensuring that it is as healthy as it can be isn’t exactly rocket science. You can improve your heart health simply by moving 60 minutes every day, according to pediatric cardiologist Dr. Jerome Lightbourne.
“You should be exercising at least half an hour, seven days a week minimum,” Lightbourne told The Nassau Guardian. “The ideal is 60 minutes daily aerobic exercise – and exercise now means moving,” said Lightbourne as Heart Month is recognized during February.
“Simple walking is good, but the best form of exercise is to increase your heart rate and increase your HDL (high-density lipoproteins) levels,” said Lightbourne of Pediatrix Specialists.
The goal is to increase high-density lipoproteins (HDL), known as “good” cholesterol. HDL absorbs cholesterol and carries it back to the liver. The liver then flushes it from the body. HDL cholesterol can lower a person’s risk for heart disease and stroke.
LDL (low-density lipoproteins), known as “bad” cholesterol, makes up most of a person’s body’s cholesterol. When someone has too much LDL cholesterol, the LDL cholesterol can build up on the walls of their blood vessels. This buildup is called “plaque”. As the blood vessels build up plaque over time, the insides of the vessels narrow. The narrowing blocks blood flow to and from a person’s heart and other organs. When blood flow to the heart is blocked, it can cause angina (chest pain) or a heart attack.
Everyone needs enough cholesterol to meet their body’s needs, but having too much cholesterol can cause problems.
While healthcare officials can recommend cholesterol-lowering medicine, Lightbourne is among those medical professionals who urge lifestyle changes focusing on movement and eating habits.
The doctor recommends the first step toward a healthier heart is knowing your cholesterol numbers, which can be learnt through a cholesterol blood test screening, and then doing the work to control cholesterol levels. A lipid panel gives the numbers for total cholesterol, LDL levels, HDL levels, VLDL (very-low-density lipoprotein) levels and triglycerides and non-HDL cholesterol as well as the ratio between cholesterol and HDL.
“If you don’t know your numbers, you won’t know where to start,” said Lightbourne. “You need to see where your results are to know where you stand. An abundance of high LDL and low HDL means you’re not protected, so it’s imperative to try to maximize your cholesterol.”
High cholesterol has no symptoms, so many people don’t know that their cholesterol is too high.
If you do not have heart disease or blood vessel disease, and you are not at high risk for developing heart disease, the optimal number is less than 100 mg/dL.
If you do have heart or blood vessel disease, or a number of risk factors, your healthcare provider may want your LDL level to be lower than 70, which Lightbourne said is a number people should strive for.
By the same token, HDL under 40 is considered poor and a risk factor for heart disease in men and women. The HDL goal for men is 40 or higher and reaching this is considered to be good; HDL for women is 50 or higher and reaching this is considered to be good.
HDL of 60 or more is considered to be optimal and a protection against heart disease.
Lighbourne likes patients to have 70 LDL/70 HDL across the board.
That being said, the doctor said genetics and a family history of ischemic heart disease or high cholesterol are also important to know as they have a significant risk for heart disease.
Recommendations for improving bad cholesterol include generally eating healthier, and taking in less fat and carbohydrates, which means decreasing the amount of processed meats (sausage, hot dog, pepperoni, corned beef) consumed to try to decrease bad cholesterol.
“In general, eating healthier and taking in less fat and carbohydrates. Decrease bad cholesterol by increasing food high in soluble pectin [which helps to absorb bad cholesterol in blood] – those are oats, bran foods, small fruits like blueberries and blackberries.”
To improve good cholesterol, Lightbourne said people need to think beyond the simple diet and should be exercising at least a half hour, seven days minimum, with 60 minutes daily aerobic exercise, the ideal.
Red wine, he notes, also aids in increasing HDL, but he cautions that a female should not take more than one drink a day, and males should consume no more than two drinks a day. Anything beyond those servings for both sexes he said can damage the heart.
“In other words, to protect your heart – regular activity and better eating habits, and know your cholesterol,” urged Lightbourne.
If a person has good genetics – they’re going to be OK. Those people with bad genetics he said have to be good about their diet and controlling their LDL levels.
With hypertension (high blood pressure), which can lead to severe health complications and increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, and sometimes death, common in Bahamians, Lightbourne said once again, the only way to control it is to know your levels and if it’s in your family.
“Normal blood pressure for an adult is 115/75 – that being said, as a physician, my job is to get you best controlled to that point. Some people, if I can get to 120/80 and you feel good – that’s OK.”
Diabetes also increases a person’s risk of heart disease. He also said babies born of mothers with diabetes opens the door to severe congenital heart disease.
“Before time, we used to say congenital heart disease occurred in one percent of live births, and we always said genetics had nothing to do with that. We now know genetics have a lot to do with it. Genetics is everything today,” said Lightbourne.
“People need to understand they must protect their heart. Exercise, especially during this pandemic. COVID-19 is not the influenza – it damages the vascular system and that’s why so many people suffer long term consequences. This is why you really need to control those numbers. Get moving, 60 minutes, every day. Just increase your heart rate,” said Lightbourne. “Take care of your heart. It’s the only one you have.”
With February recognized as Heart Month, when you take care of your heart as part of your self-care, you set an example for those around you to do the same.
Heart health awareness month is a time to bring attention to the importance of cardiovascular health and what people can do to reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease.
Heart health is one of the most widespread and complicated challenges, worldwide.
According to the American Heart Association, cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death, accounting for over 17.6 million deaths in 2016 – a number that is expected to grow to over 23.6 million by 2030.
The good news is that heart disease is preventable in most cases with healthy choices, which include not smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, controlling blood sugar and cholesterol, treating high blood pressure, getting at least 150 minutes of moderate-intense physical activity a week and getting regular checkups.
The post The heart of the matter appeared first on The Nassau Guardian.
source https://thenassauguardian.com/the-heart-of-the-matter/
No comments:
Post a Comment