A healthy heart is important to ensure a healthy life. Heart disease is the leading cause of death worldwide, the complications not only affects the heart but also other major parts of the body. Here are some tips for you to maintain a healthy heart.
Maintain a healthy diet
A healthy eating habit will help you to maintain a healthy weight. Excess body weight adds strain to your heart, so it is recommended that you keep within the recommended Body Mass Index (BMI).
You can maintain a healthy diet by eating less fat, eat less cholesterol-rich food, eat more fibre and consume less sugar. This will help you to maintain your BMI, hence a healthier heart
Stay Active
A sedentary lifestyle is a huge contributor to heart conditions, therefore it is important to stay active and exercise regularly.
Regular exercise helps you reduce the risk of heart attack, maintain a healthy body weight, control your blood pressure and strengthen your body alongside other benefits.
Consume Alcohol in Moderation and Avoid Smoking
Alcohol and smoking are big contributors to heart conditions, so it is important that you take note of your alcohol consumption and avoid smoking if possible.
While there is evidence that alcohol consumption in moderation may lower the risk of heart disease, too much can raise your blood pressure and even lead to stroke. It is recommended that you keep to three or fewer standard drinks a week.
Cigarettes contain more than 4000 harmful chemicals that cause damage to blood vessels, reduces oxygen in blood and makes the heart beat faster. Long term smoking can lead to heart disease, stroke, cancer and lung diseases. If you are a smoker, it is recommended that you quit smoking to improve your heart health.
Check your Heart regularly
It is important to regularly go for health screening to keep your heart health in check. There are a few tests that you can use to know your current heart health:
Resting Electrocardiogram (ECG)
A resting ECG is a medical test where you lie down and the electrical activity generated by the heart is measured and recorded as a trace on screen. The data is then interpreted by a medical practitioner. ECGs generated from a healthy heart usually have a characteristic shape, if there are any anomalies the doctor may recommend other diagnostic tests to check for any conditions.
Treadmill Stress Test
Test that measures your heart’s tolerance for exercise and detects coronary heart disease. The test involves either walking and/or running on a treadmill machine while the patient’s ECG and blood pressure is measured throughout the test.
2D Echocardiography
This is used to “see” the actual motion of the heart structures. A 2D Echo view appears cone-shaped on the monitor, this will allow the real-time motion of the heart’s structure to be observed. The doctor will then be able to see the various heart structures working and evaluate them.
Blood Tests
A combination of blood tests can be utilized to measure the overall health of the heart. They are namely:
Lipids profile – Measures your cholesterol level and the breakdown of good and bad fats found in your blood
Fasting Blood Glucose – Test to see how well the body is able to manage blood sugar levels in the absence of food
Thyroid Function Tests – These test shows if you have an underactive or overactive thyroid gland. Abnormal levels can be linked to some heart conditions and symptoms.
Regular testing is important to keep track of your heart health as most conditions are asymptomatic. 6 comprehensive executive health screening packages are available at Minmed, suitable for different groups of people. Get your annual screening done today.
