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| Monday, February 09, 2009 |
| Be Heart Smart |
Since 1963, the President has proclaimed February as ‘American Heart Month’ to raise public awareness about our nation’s number one killer, heart disease. According to the CDC, “In 2009, an estimated 785,000 Americans will have a new coronary attack, and about 470,000 will have a recurrent attack”. Although most people tend to associate heart disease with men, it’s also the leading cause of death among women in the United States. For that reason, the American Heart Association started the Go Red campaign to promote awareness and help women take action against heart disease.
Since heart disease is often preventable, it’s important for women to be proactive and talk to their doctors. To find out more, I asked our resident cardiologist, and Sensei’s CEO, a few questions about women and heart disease. According to Dr. Bob Schwarzberg, most people associate heart disease with men because “the incidence is higher in men and tends to occur at a younger age (about 10 years earlier), making it more visible”.
“Smoking, cholesterol and high blood pressure” are the top three ‘preventable’ risk factors for women developing heart disease states Dr. Bob. High cholesterol and high blood pressure are both largely impacted by lifestyle, which is why being active and eating a heart healthy diet are so important. Here are some heart smart things you can do to help decrease your risk:
- Avoid saturated and trans fats. Saturated fats come from animal sources such as red meat and full fat dairy products. Trans fats come from foods containing hydrogenated oils, so be sure to check the nutrition facts and ingredient labels.
- Limit your intake of salt and processed foods.
- Eat a colorful variety of fresh fruits and vegetables.
- Increase your intake of foods rich in soluble fiber like beans, lentils and oatmeal.
- Include heart healthy fats like olive oil, avocado and nuts in your diet.
- Stop smoking and limit your intake of alcohol.
- Limit intake of simple sugars and high fructose corn syrup.
- Choose fish, lean meat and poultry more often.
- Be physically active (aim for 30 to 60 minutes a day). Just Do Something!
Know you numbers! Have your cholesterol and blood pressure checked on a regular basis. “Classic symptoms are sometimes misinterpreted” states Dr. Bob, so if you think you might be at risk here some things to looks for:
- Pain, pressure or burning in the chest thought to be indigestion. Ask yourself, do you usually get indigestion? Is it the same as before or related to activity?
- Shortness of breath with exertion or change in exercise tolerance. Could you do that activity 3 months ago?
For more on heart healthy living check out the American Heart Association website.
Happy Heart Month!
- Lauren
Labels: Health, Lauren
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posted by The Sensei Team @ Monday, February 09, 2009   |
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