Heart Health
A few years ago, a good friend of mine saw an advertisement to do an MRI on his entire body for $400.00. So, he and his wife went and did the MRI and it showed some significant blockage on 2 of his arteries. At the time, he was not experiencing any heart related symptoms, even when he was working out. He subsequently saw a cardiologist who wanted to treat him with statins and took a wait-and-see approach. After a year, the statins had done nothing for him and he then took a stress test, which caused him to spike his blood pressure to the point where he eventually had 2 stents put in. Thankfully he’s doing fine, and his life goes on.
I tell you this story because if my friend did not get the scan, he probably would not have known about his blockage until it became too late. As we get older, what are we to do to protect ourselves? Most of us cannot afford to get full body MRIs as insurance will not cover the procedure if done voluntarily, so we rely on our body knowledge and get cholesterol checks as our primary markers for heart disease. According to the CDC, Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) is caused by plaque buildup in the arteries where part of the plaque is cholesterol. Unfortunately, your body needs cholesterol, which is produced in the liver, to survive and thrive. As statins are one of the most prescribed drugs in America to reduce cholesterol, most patients with high cholesterol will be on them indefinitely. As heart disease is still the number 1 killer in America, in my opinion, I don’t think statins have made an impact. Other research suggests that sugar may be a primary cause of CAD as well.
Unlike my friend who can afford to get scanned, what can the average person do to lead a heart-healthy lifestyle? First off, one must exercise, as the heart is a muscle. It needs to be worked out regularly to make it stronger, increase your blood flow and prevent the hardening of arteries. Second, reduce or eliminate sugar and imitation sugars in your diet along with processed foods that are high in carbohydrates that eventually turn to sugar in your body. Third, eliminate liquid calories (sweetened or artificially sweetened drinks). Real sugar is high in calories and the fake sugar tricks to body into wanting more sugar. Lastly, we can also look at the number 2 drink in the world. Tea has been known to be heart healthy as black and green tea have certain flavonoids that can help decrease the decline in HDL cholesterol and accelerate the decline in LDL cholesterol according to a study done a few years ago.
As November is Healthy Heart Month, please get some exercise, reduce sugar intake, drink some unsweetened tea, and, as always, listen to your body and stay on top of your heart!