According to hard data, five harmful habits herald the coming of heart disease. These five are smoking, being inactive, carrying too many pounds, eating poorly, and drinking too much alcohol.
Eating a diet high in saturated fats, trans fat, and cholesterol has been linked to heart disease and related conditions, such as atherosclerosis. Also, too much salt (sodium) in the diet can raise blood pressure. Not getting enough physical activity can lead to heart disease.
The heart muscle can be damaged by certain infections, heavy alcohol use, illegal drug use and some chemotherapy medicines. Your genes also can play a role. Any of the following conditions also can damage or weaken the heart and cause heart failure. Coronary artery disease and heart attack.
Water is the drink of choice for heart health. If you're thirsty, drink water. When the weather is warm or we're exercising, our bodies need more water than usual. Unflavoured milk, tea and coffee can be enjoyed in moderation.
A number of drugs also have a cardiotoxic effect, such as the chemotherapeutic agent 5-fluorouracil (a pyrimidine analogue), anthracycline antibiotics, fenfluramine, etc. Other "cardiac poisons" include, for example, mercury or cocaine.
The findings suggest that eating up to one egg per day may help lower the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Eggs are a rich source of dietary cholesterol, but they also contain a variety of essential nutrients.
Potassium in bananas is good for your heart health and blood pressure. A medium-sized banana will provide around 320-400 mg of potassium, which meets about 10% of your daily potassium needs. Potassium helps your body maintain a healthy heart and blood pressure. In addition, bananas are low in sodium.
Adults age 65 and older are more likely than younger people to suffer from cardiovascular disease, which is problems with the heart, blood vessels, or both. Aging can cause changes in the heart and blood vessels that may increase a person's risk of developing cardiovascular disease.
Stage I is considered “pre-heart failure.” High-risk individuals include patients with high blood pressure, diabetes, hypertension, metabolic syndrome, and coronary artery disease. A family history of alcohol abuse, rheumatic fever, cardiotoxic drug therapy, or cardiomyopathy can increase your risk.
You may not notice initial symptoms of a weak heart. But if you are feeling more fatigued than usual, unusual aches and pains, are lightheaded, or have chest pain, seek immediate medical attention.
blood tests – to check whether there's anything in your blood that might indicate heart failure or another illness. an electrocardiogram (ECG) – this records the electrical activity of your heart to check for problems. an echocardiogram – a type of ultrasound scan where sound waves are used to examine your heart.
If you wake up feeling not refreshed, you have daytime sleepiness or if you need to curtail your daytime activity because of lack of energy, these could be signs your heart failure isn't being managed as well as it could be, Dr. Freeman says.
Place your index and middle finger of your hand on the inner wrist of the other arm, just below the base of the thumb. You should feel a tapping or pulsing against your fingers. Count the number of taps you feel in 10 seconds. Multiply that number by 6 to find out your heart rate for 1 minute.
While there is often concern about the links between caffeine and heart health, a moderate amount of tea or coffee (four or five cups a day) should be fine for most people. Research shows that this level of caffeine intake shouldn't be detrimental to your heart health, affect your cholesterol levels or heart rhythm.
Coffee is full of health benefits. According to the American College of Cardiology, drinking two to three cups of coffee per day is associated with maintaining a healthy heart.
Although heart failure is a serious condition that progressively gets worse over time, certain cases can be reversed with treatment. Even when the heart muscle is impaired, there are a number of treatments that can relieve symptoms and stop or slow the gradual worsening of the condition.