What are the preventive measures for heart disease?

The risk of most acquired heart diseases can be reduced through active intervention. The core logic is to avoid controllable damage factors and reduce the additional burden on blood vessels and myocardium.

I also met 48-year-old Uncle Zhang at a community free clinic last week. No one in his family has a history of heart disease. He used to drink white wine with marinated meat. Last year’s physical examination showed that his coronary arteries were 30% blocked. He went back to quit drinking. The pickled vegetables on the table were replaced by fresh vegetables. He walked around the park with his wife three or four times a week. The plaques have been completely stabilized during this review. Even the doctor praised him for adjusting in a timely manner.

At this point, some people may ask, there are different opinions on the Internet about whether drinking coffee hurts the heart? In fact, there is no unified conclusion in the academic circles. There are cohort studies showing that drinking 1-2 cups of black coffee without sugar milk every day can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. There are also clinical data showing that people who are sensitive to caffeine may induce premature beats and tachycardia after drinking it. Therefore, you can adjust it according to your own body reaction after drinking it. There is no need to follow the trend of drinking, and you don’t have to dare not touch it even if you take a sip.

When many people talk about protecting their heart, they first think of buying various health care products. Instead, they ignore the basics that should be done well: People who have high blood pressure, high blood lipids, and diabetes, don’t think that they don’t need to take medicine if they don’t have symptoms. I have seen too many young men in their early 30s who ignored high blood pressure for four or five years and finally came to see a doctor for dilated cardiomyopathy. It’s really a shame. There is no need to deliberately go vegetarian in order to protect the heart. Cooking in plain water will easily lead to a lack of high-quality protein, which will put a burden on the heart. As long as you avoid repeatedly used frying oil, limit the amount of salt you eat to a beer cap a day, and eat deep-sea fish two or three times a week, it is much more effective than eating a lot of heart-protecting health products with unknown ingredients.

There is no need to pursue high intensity when it comes to exercise. There used to be a girl who didn't exercise at all. She suddenly ran five kilometers a day in order to lose weight. She came to the doctor with chest tightness after running for a week. Fortunately, it was just transient myocardial ischemia and nothing serious happened. Just find an exercise you can stick to, such as brisk walking, playing badminton, or square dancing. 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity every week is much more effective than an occasional hard workout.

Even if you are not feeling uncomfortable after the age of 40, it is best to include an electrocardiogram and blood lipid test in your annual physical examination. If you have a family history of heart disease, you can also add a cardiac ultrasound. It does not cost much and can identify most early risks. In addition, don’t forget to avoid tobacco. Regardless of first-hand or second-hand smoke, the damage to the endothelium of blood vessels is cumulative. By the time you feel chest tightness and chest pain, most of the blood vessels have been blocked.

In fact, protecting the heart is not something difficult that needs to be done deliberately. Just don’t put extra burden on the heart. It is more reliable than any folk remedies.