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In the U.S., heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women. While many things contribute to heart disease, lifestyle is probably the single most influential factor. Fortunately, it’s also the one factor we have the most control over.
Too often, the first symptom of a heart attack is death. Many people don’t get a second chance to change their lives after a heart attack. You are at greater risk of heart attack if you:
· Smoke
· Eat lots of protein, especially meat
· Drink lots of alcohol
· Drink lots of caffeinated beverages
· Have high blood pressure
· Have asthma
· Are more than 10% over your ideal body weight
· Have high cholesterol or homocysteine levels
· Are sedentary
Heart attacks are caused by a clot or spasm to one of the arteries in the heart. Clots can be blood or plaque that has built up in the arteries. These occurrences prevent oxygen from getting to the cells and kill off the tissue, causing permanent damage or even death.
No one is immune from heart attack. They have struck down healthy, vigorous people, too. A family history of heart disease and heart attack and high risk factors should serve as a warning to make lifestyle changes before it’s too late.
While you are changing your diet, add more garlic and onions to it. Both of these foods are natural blood thinners, which help protect you from blood clots that can bring on heart attack.
Diet is probably the one area where you can make the most effective changes. Beginning a diet low in protein and cholesterol and high in fiber, especially oat fiber, will almost immediately lower your risk of heart attack. This type of diet can also serve to reduce body weight and increase energy.
Along with diet, change the beverages you choose to consume. Replace coffee and sodas with water or decaffeinated tea. Reduce alcohol consumption to no more than a few drinks a month.
If you are still smoking, please quit. There are so many reasons to quit smoking and certainly one of them is reducing your risk of heart attack. If you are a smoker with asthma, it is vital that you quit, not just for the health of your lungs but the health of your heart as well. Asthma and asthma medications substantially increase your risk of heart attack. You may not be able to cure your asthma, but quitting smoking will more than likely reduce the amount of medication you have to use to manage your disease.
Increase your activity level. Most of us forget that our heart is a muscle that requires exercise. Aerobic exercise will help keep your heart fit and reduce your risk of heart attack substantially.
Get B-complex vitamins into your diet. Most Americans do not get enough of the 8 B vitamins by eating. This is one vitamin supplement almost all of us can benefit from. Folic acid is something you need, too. These vitamins are found in green, leafy vegetables and they reduce the levels of homocysteine in your bloodstream. Homocysteine is an amino acid that has been linked to heart disease and heart attack.
Add psyllium to your diet, too. You can get this herb in products like Metamucil. Its primary use is for relief of constipation but it also reduces cholesterol in the bloodstream. Ginger and ginseng can help reduce cholesterol, too.
Avoid salt. Salt raises blood pressure increasing the risk of arterial spasms. Ginger, ginseng and hawthorn tea can also help to reduce your blood pressure. Besides being a contributing factor in heart attack, high blood pressure is a leading cause of stroke.
Manage your stress. Stress contributes to so many of our health problems and heart attack is one of those problems. High stress increases the amount of adrenaline and cortisal in the bloodstream, in turn increasing blood pressure. Is there any wonder that most heart attacks occur between 4 a.m. and 10 a.m.? Our bodies are under the natural stress of waking up and transitioning from sleep to wakefulness and we are most likely dealing with the pressures of work at the same time. Throw some coffee, cigarettes and bacon and eggs on the fire and you’re asking for a heart attack.
I will never be one to claim that lifestyle changes are easy to make. They certainly are not. But, they are the factors that have the greatest impact on your risk for heart attack. If you’d like to lead a long and healthy life, making these kinds of changes is critical. Don’t wait until it’s too late. You could be one of those who doesn’t get a second chance.
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