• April 26, 2024

Healthy habits are not only the key to a better quality of life, but also to prevent various diseases, such is the case of cardiovascular diseases. In fact, according to the Spanish Heart Foundation, you can prevent up to 90% of a heart attack only with this type of habits.

Having a heart attack can be due to various causes, however it is known, according to specialists of the Foundation, that almost 90% of them are related to factors derived from an unhealthy lifestyle, such as smoking, high cholesterol, obesity and overweight, diabetes and hypertension, all of which can be prevented.

Habits that reduce risk

In that sense, Enrique Galve, president of the section of Vascular Risk and Cardiac Rehabilitation of the Spanish Society of Cardiology (SEC), recommends that in order to prevent the risk of having a heart attack, the following habits should be met:

1. Exercise . There is an important association between sedentary lifestyle and the risk of having a heart attack, so it is recommended to have frequent physical activity, such as running, which reduces the risk by up to 42%, doing weights, 23%, or rowing, 18%.

2. Rest. According to researchers from the University of West Virginia School of Medicine , sleeping seven hours each night reduces the risk of having a heart attack. On the contrary, sleep more or less hours, it can even double.

3. Avoid tobacco use . Smoking severely damages health, regardless of how it is consumed; In addition, passive exposure is also dangerous. The risk of having a myocardial infarction and CVA begins to decrease immediately after stopping to use tobacco products by half in just one year, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) .

4. Healthy eating . A balanced diet is essential for the health of the heart and vascular system. It is recommended to consume abundant fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, fish and vegetables, and little salt and sugar.

5. Chocolate. Eating 100 gr dark chocolate every day helps reduce the risk of having a heart attack, due to its concentration in cocoa, antioxidants and polyphenols, which even improves blood circulation, explain specialists of the Monash University of Melbourne, Australia .

In addition to the above habits, in general, it is recommended to perform tests periodically, annually in the case of people with a history, to help prevent the risk of having a heart attack, in addition to having controlled cholesterol, glucose and triglycerides.

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