The heart is a tricky matter, not just metaphorically, but also in physiological affairs. Pumping up to 5 – 6 liters of blood per minute, it needs constant tender, love, and care to produce the most effective outcomes. Many Americans have been suggested to concern themselves with heart health starting at age 40 with the American Heart Association reporting incidences of cardiovascular disease starting between the ages of 40 – 59.
Stress can have a major impact on the heart. Job stress from high demands are associated with elevated blood pressure, chronic hypertension, and cardiovascular mortality. Relationship stress can lead to more cardiovascular risk and development or progression of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease or cardiovascular mortality. In fact, relationship drama is equivalent to that of cigarette smoking or physical inactivity.
Counters for stress can include moderate to vigorous physical activity in order to improve heart health. Engaging in moderate physical activity equivalent to 150 minutes per week or doing vigorous physical activity for 75 minutes per week will reduce stress impacts on the heart greatly. However, it’s important to note not to do too much exercise that leads to exertion given how overexertion can lead to cardiac arrest or acute myocardial infarction. Just like with Goldilocks picking porridge that was just right, we all have to pick the right amount of exercise for our heart that feels best.
Moderate exercise can even reduce long term risks of cardiovascular events by up to 50%, so talk about a quality hobby! Exercise can also lower risks of coronary artery calcification, so it’s important for everyone to participate no matter what the fitness level is of an individual. Anyone with a sedentary lifestyle should follow a regimen that includes gradual increase of exercise intensity with avoidance of any vigorous exercise for the first 6 – 8 weeks. This can increase to moderate intensity for aerobics for intervals of 30 minutes for 5 days out of the week. Eventually one can do vigorous intensity for a minimum of 20 minutes for 3 days out of the week. Both moderate intensity and vigorous intensity are considered ideal for heart maintenance.
Sleep also plays a key role for the heart. Sleep heals and repairs your heart and blood vessels. It is recommended to have a certain amount of sleep everyday including with naps. For infants 4 – 12 months they should be sleeping 12 – 16 hours per day, for toddlers 1 – 2 years they should be sleeping 11 – 14 hours per day, for children 3 – 5 years they should be sleeping 10 – 13 hours per day. For children ages 6 – 12 they should be sleeping 9 – 12 hours per day. For children ages 13 – 18 they should be sleeping 8 – 10 hours per day. For adults 18 and older, it is recommended to sleep 7 – 8 hours per day.
For food in particular it’s important to choose foods high in HDL cholesterol or “high density lipoprotein cholesterol”. This is considered the good cholesterol which carries various proteins, enzymes, miRNAs, bile acids, and lipids that keep cholesterol from entering the arteries. Cholesterol can even aid in hormone production, so it’s important to choose the right foods. Foods that include HDL cholesterol are: avocado, salmon, sardines, trout, herring, anchovies, tuna, eel, cod, catfish, pilchards, kippers, sprats, mackerel, almonds, flaxseed, oatmeal, olive oil, soy, whole grains, legumes, seeds, leafy vegetables, eggplant, okra, beans, berries, apples, and dark chocolate.
Foods that have LDL cholesterol can have the opposite effect and be involved in plaque buildup in the arteries. Foods high in LDL cholesterol can include: processed meat, red meat, heavy cream, baked goods, fried foods, palm oil, coconut oil, and butter. These foods can be eaten with moderation and can even be beneficial to eat depending on someone’s stage in life. Besides the fried foods which even children should avoid. However, if you are at a point where you are trying to avoid plaque buildup, it’s best to indulge in these foods only on occasion.
There are statins that can help to remove cholesterol from the blood, but they include side effects such as developing liver damage, type 2 diabetes, muscle damage, and neurological side effects. They also have to be monitored with vegetable intake, since it can cause blood thinning. If you’re concerned with cholesterol and triglyceride levels, just note that good HDL cholesterol levels are 60 mg/dL and triglyceride levels should be less than 150 mg/dL. Supplements like stanols or sterols, garlic supplements, red yeast rice, and green tea may help with cholesterol management for anyone concerned about HDL cholesterol levels and triglyceride levels.
In the future there may be cellular treatments that can retrain cells to move cholesterol and lipids through the arteries without accumulating. These future drugs that contain tiny nanoparticles that have the diameter of 150 nanometers, or the diameter of 1/500th of a human hair, are applicated to specific cells in the arteries and have been shown to effectively remove cholesterol which is an efficacy current medications do not possess. Current studies have also shown that ultrasound lasers reduced laser energy required for the removal of atherosclerotic plaque which can reduce complications and result in more effective plaque removal.
Overall the future seems promising and there is a lot to look forward to with anyone having a hard time with cholesterol maintenance. In the meantime it’s good to note the routines and food consumption that may help hinder plaque buildup and chronic stress in order to promote a healthy pump to the heart.
Take care of yourself and your heart.
