The heart is one of the most important organs, it works by pumping blood all over the body through the circulatory system. It supplies nutrients, as well as oxygen to the tissues and removes carbon dioxide and other wastes. Thus, it's really important to always keep our hearth healthy.
In the United States, about half of all adults have developed some form of cardiovascular disease according to the recent estimate from the American Heart Association (AHA). That means 121 million adults were affected by one or more of the following conditions: narrowing of the arteries, high blood pressure, heart attack, and arrhythmia.
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide, according to AHA. For the past decades, there has been a steady decline in the US. But, the figures now are much higher than the previous data over the past years. This likely because of the changes how high blood pressure is defined in 2017 - the previous definition of 140/90 mm Hg to 130/80 mm Hg. Due to this revising, a lot of people become qualified as having hypertension.
Experts believe this is a wake-up call for everyone, particularly those who aren't doing enough to control cardiovascular risk factors. It's important to understand your condition - especially if you're at risk - and watch out for the potential signs and symptoms of heart-related problems. About 80 percent of all cardiovascular disease can be prevented by controlling high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diabetes, along with maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
Eliminating high blood pressure could already make a huge impact on cardiovascular disease deaths than eliminating other factors, said AHA volunteer president Ivor J. Benjamin, M.D. It has been also highlighted several times that physical activities and eating healthy foods are necessary to keep our heart healthy.
You don't need to follow a strict eating pattern, but at least try to base your meals on the DASH diet or the Mediterranean diet, according to Medical Daily. You should limit your salt intake, avoid trans fats, saturated fats, and refined sugar.
"If you lower your body weight you can decrease your blood pressure by about 8 [blood pressure points]," said Dr. Leslie Cho, a cardiologist from the Cleveland Clinic, pointing out the importance of maintaining a healthy weight.
Smokers are also at risk since smoking can severely damage the arteries, increasing stroke and heart attack risk. Secondhand smoke exposure could make non-smokers 30 percent more likely to develop lung cancer or heart disease.
