Tips For a Healthy Heart

Follow simple but effective recommendations for cardiovascular health. Thus, you can decrease the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Here are some essential Tips For a Healthy Heart.

The secret behind healthy hearts…

Cardiovascular diseases can be prevented. According to studies, your lifestyle modifications can decrease your risk of cardiovascular diseases approximately by 82 percent. You should pay attention to following advices for a healthy cardiovascular system and consider these Tips For a Healthy Heart.

Say goodbye to smoking and never make peace again

Quit smoking or do not smoke again if you have already quit. If you need help to stop smoking, contact our counseling centers.

Walk regularly

Do moderate exercises like brisk walking for 30 to 60 minutes a day. Make sure that you exercise for at least 150 minutes in a week. To reach this goal, you can walk for 30 minutes daily for 5 days in a week. If you are overweight, you can extend each session up to 60 to 90 minutes.

Lose your excess weight

Overweight is one of the critical risk factors for coronary heart disease. It is also considered an important risk factor not only for heart diseases, but also for diabetes mellitus and hypertension, which pave the way for heart disease.

Scientific studies demonstrate that even losing 5 percent of excess weight boosts quality of life, decreases risk of diabetes and affects the blood lipid profile positively. Fat deposition characterized with accumulation of fat in abdomen is very significant for risk of coronary artery disease.

There is positive correlation between body mass index and mortality. Body mass index <25 kg/m2 is normal, 25-30 kg/m2 is overweight and >30 kg/m2 implies obesity.

Moreover, a waist to hip ratio above normal limits or in other words, abdominal obesity increases the risk of coronary artery disease. Normal waist:hip ratio is 0.9 in men and 0.8 in women. Even loss of 3 to 5 kg will help you regulate your blood pressure to a certain extent. Visit a dietician, if required.

Have heart check-up

It is necessary to have heart check-up after 40 years of age for men and 50 years of age for women. These check-ups should be done at 2 year intervals for individuals with low risk and annually for those who have high risk.

Because metabolism can change and some diseases may develop in this period of time. However, it is important to have check-ups at age of 30s if family history is positive for heart disease at young ages or if the patient or a first-degree relative has diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol levels.

*Information in our web site does not aim to provide guidance for diagnosis and treatment. Do not make any diagnostic and therapeutic procedures before consulting your physician. The articles contain information about therapeutic healthcare services of Acıbadem Healthcare Group.