Resumo de Heart Disease - american survey

Heart disease, also called coronary Heart disease, is the

number one killer of Americans. It causes half a

million

sudden deaths every year.

Many people can prevent heart disease or control
early-

stage heart disease by making lifestyle changes.
Here

are

some ways you can decrease your risk:

Lifestyle

Time out. Minimize stress, a risk factor for heart

disease.

Try meditation or visualization or yoga. Prayer may

also

help. Take brisk walks with a friend; your
conversation

may

add extra stress relief.

Rein in your rage. Don't get mad -- it's bad for
your

heart. A study of nearly 13,000 people found that
those

who

were quick to anger were almost three times more
likely

to

have heart attacks than their cooler-headed peers.

Stay trim. Being even slightly overweight can
increase

your

blood pressure and put you at greater risk for
heart

disease. Follow a heart-smart diet and make
exercise a

priority.

No ifs, ands, or butts. According to the American
Heart

Association, you can cut your risk of death related
to

heart disease by 50 percent by kicking the smoking

habit.

After three smoke-free years, your risk of heart

disease is

the same as that of a lifelong nonsmoker.

Getting away is good for your heart. Researchers
found

that

men between age 35 and 57 who took a yearly
vacation

were

one-third less likely to die from heart disease
than

their

stay-at-work colleagues.

Be flexible. Flexibility exercises like yoga not
only

help

keep your joints limber but also help cut the

production of

stress hormones that can contribute to heart
disease.

Diet

Think international. People who eat a traditional

Mediterranean or Asian diet appear to have lower
rates

of

heart disease than those who eat a typical American

diet.

Incorporate elements of these diets into your
healthy

eating plan.

Eat heart-smart foods. Choose foods that can reduce

cholesterol and improve heart health, such as
fruits

(apples, avocados, dried fruits, grapefruit,
oranges,

strawberries), vegetables (broccoli, carrots, corn,

lima

beans, onions), seafood (clams, mussels, oysters),
fish

containing omega-3 fatty acids (salmon and
bluefish),

soy,

nuts, and whole-grain breads and cereals.

Cut the fat. To keep your cholesterol level down,
limit

the

amount of fat you eat, especially saturated fat.
Your

total

fat intake should be no more than 30 percent of
your

daily

calories. Focus on low-fat alternatives to red
meat,

such

as fish or skinless chicken or turkey. Eating fish

several

times a week can cut your risk of heart attack by
as

much

as half. Lower your intake of dairy fats by
switching

to

low-fat or skim varieties. Or try soy milk -- soy

protein

can lower cholesterol.

Spice it up. If you have high blood pressure, cut
your

sodium intake. In fact, researchers now think that
even

people whose blood pressure is within normal range

should

cut back on sodium. Avoid processed foods, which

contain a

lot of sodium, and ease up on salt at mealtime. But

don't

settle for bland fare. Add flavor with salsa,
curry,

peppers, or garlic. Eating one to three cloves of

garlic a

day has been shown to reduce blood pressure and

possibly

lower cholesterol.

Add rough stuff. Soluble fiber, plentiful in fresh

fruits,

vegetables, legumes, and whole grains, prevents
plaque

buildup in your arteries. Studies show that eating

three or

more servings of fruits and vegetables daily can
lower

the

risk of heart attack and stroke by 25 percent or
more.

In

one study, eating cooked dried bes daily

lowered "bad"

cholesterol by 20 percent in just three weeks.
Other

research showed that a diet high in whole grains
can

cut a

woman's risk of dying from heart disease by up to
15

percent. And dozens of studies confirm that eating
oats

has

a cholesterol-lowering effect.

Seeing red. Drinking alcohol in moderation raises
HDL,

or "good," cholesterol and "thins" the blood,
reducing

the

likelihood of clots that can cause heart attack and

stroke.

Red wine offers additional benefits. Its dark
pigments

are

rich in bioflavonoids that prevent the oxidation of

LDL,

or "bad," cholesterol, making it less likely to
stick

to

artery walls. Research showed that people who drank
two

8-

ounce glasses of red wine a day were 40 percent
less

likely

to have a heart attack than those who didn't
imbibe.

But

don't overdo it -- too much alcohol raises your

triglyceride level. And if you have an alcohol
problem,

the

harm far outweighs any potential benefit. Instead
of

drinking alcohol, you can get bioflavonoids from
black

and

green tea, onions, kale, and apples.

Exercise

Work your heart. The best preventive medicine for
your

heart is aerobic exercise. It reduces high blood

pressure

and atherosclerosis by widening the blood vessels.

Plus, it

raises "good" cholesterol levels. Choose an
activity

that

works the large muscles of your legs and buttocks
(like

brisk walking or bicycling), and strive to reach
your

target heart rate for at least 15 to 20 minutes,
three

or

four times a week.

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