10 tips to take care of the heart

• April 25, 2024

The lifestyle and diet are essential for cardiovascular health, in accordance with the new recommendations of the American Heart Association (AHA, for its acronym in English).

More than talking about feeding , American experts focus attention on quality of life to prevent obesity and the cardiovascular diseases ; his recommendations, recently published in the magazine Circulation , they are addressed to the entire population.

Go ahead and follow these 10 tips from the AHA to have a heart healthy and improve your quality of life:

1.- Lead an active life: It is recommended that all adults do 30 or more minutes of physical activity , Every day of the week. If the goal is to lose weight, they should practice 60 minutes a day of exercise .

2.- Avoid consumption or exposure to tobacco: Smoking is related to Cancer and cardiovascular disorders, take care of your environment and especially your health.

3.- Maintain a normal blood pressure, below 120/80 mm / Hg: The levels of this can be modified with the diet , physical activity and psychosocial factors. Low salt intake (ideal below 1.5 g / day), increases the consumption of potassium reduces the calories and consume alcohol moderately.

4.- Eat fruits and vegetables: It is recommended the intake of foods such as spinach, carrots, peaches or strawberries, because it has a higher content of micronutrients . On the other hand, the AHA insists that a juice is not equivalent to a fruit with respect to its content. fiber nor in its capacity for satiety; He also warns about the importance of preparing food to preserve its properties.

5.- Limit the intake of trans and saturated fats: Foods of animal origin (red meat and cow's milk) are those that contain the highest number of saturated fats; while the trans They are present in fried foods, prepared foods and in industrial biscuits. The AHA suggests that the consumption of these products be below 7% and that the consumption of cholesterol do not reach 300 mg.

6.- Decrease the consumption of sugary drinks and alcohol: By reducing the intake of these products the amount of calories that enter the body.

7.- Include fish and whole grains to your diet: The fiber modestly reduces the levels of cholesterol bad and promotes satiety by producing a slow emptying of the stomach. It is recommended that at least half of the cereals be whole grains. Fish such as salmon, sardines or tuna have a high content of oleic fatty acids Y linoleic , associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular diseases.

8.- Focus your attention on special groups: There is more and more obesity among the little ones. For this reason, it is advisable to start a healthy diet and physical activity from the first years of life. As for the elderly, due to the frequency with which they present cardiovascular disorders, they are asked to go to a doctor to advise them on the type of cardiovascular disease. nutrients that they should ingest. People with diseases As the metabolic syndrome or chronic renal insufficiency they must follow specific recommendations such as: a diet very low in fats Y calories , increase your physical activity to lose weight, and consume little salt.

9.- A healthy sex life: The American Heart Association says there is no reason why cardiac patients or survivors of a heart attack can not resume sexual activity full as soon as they feel ready to do it. The specialists emphasize that the physical activity in cardiac patients it is important to achieve sexual rehabilitation without major problems.

10.- Sports practice is the best tool to maintain a healthy heart: Experts point out that the response to exercise in women is different with respect to men, due to the female cardiovascular peculiarities such as the size of the heart , a lower development of the rib cage and a smaller amount of blood , among other.

Finally, the recommendations of the American Heart Association focus on becoming aware of the type of foods that are consumed, the contribution of calories and the size of the rations, which tend to be increasingly higher. Although some forms of life can not be changed, later behaviors can be modified, such as: spending less time in front of the TV or the computer screen, as well as spending more hours walking or practicing exercise . This will depend on our cardiovascular health being better.

Video Medicine: 10 Heart Health Tips (April 2024).