Heart Disease Prevention - The Relationship Between Anxiety And Heart Disease!

Being part of life, anxiety is one thing that every human being will encounter from time to time. Sometimes it can be motivating. But it needs to be balanced out by parasympathetic nervous system activity. Unfortunately, some people with anxiety do not have such balance, and this could hurt the heart over time. Find out more at:

https://www.howtopreventheartdisease.com/the-relationship-between-anxiety-and-heart-disease.html

Heart Disease Prevention - Will Burnout Lead To Atrial Fibrillation?

Mounting evidence has suggested that a diet rich in flavanols can have a positive impact on cardiovascular health. According to new research, eating foods high in flavanols, like tea and cocoa, can help lower blood pressure, even among people with hypertension. Find out more at:

https://www.howtopreventheartdisease.com/would-flavanol-rich-diet-prevent-heart-disease.html

Heart Disease Prevention - Letting Healthy Habits Slip Bad For The Heart!

Medications can be effective, but they do not eliminate the need for a healthy lifestyle. Having a healthy diet and exercise, managing alcohol consumption, quitting smoking, may help people keep their medication doses lower, which may lower side effects. Find out more at:

https://www.howtopreventheartdisease.com/letting-healthy-habits-slip-bad-for-the-heart.html

Heart Disease Prevention - Does Nosebleed Indicate Sign Of Heart Disease?

Liver disease, kidney disease can lower the blood’s ability to clot causing the nose to bleed. Heart conditions like hypertension (high blood pressure) and congestive heart failure can cause nosebleeds, as can hypertensive crisis. Find out more at:

https://www.howtopreventheartdisease.com/does-nosebleed-indicate-sign-of-heart-disease.html

Heart Disease Prevention - Is Heart Disease Only Causes Of Edema?

Edema is the medical term for swelling. Things like a twisted ankle, a bee sting, or a skin infection will cause edema. Prolonged standing or sitting, heart diseases like congestive heart failure, coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathy, and other medical conditions like chronic lung diseases, kidney disease, liver disease, head trauma, and come critical illnesses can all lead to edema. Find out more at:

https://www.howtopreventheartdisease.com/is-heart-disease-only-causes-of-edema.html

Heart Disease Prevention - Role of Garlic In Heart Disease Prevention!

Taking garlic regularly may help prevent many chronic health conditions. Some studies had indicated that garlic supplements help prevent and reduce the severity of common illnesses like the flu and common cold. Research show that it helps lower cholesterol naturally and simultaneously acts as a blood thinner. Find out more at:

https://www.howtopreventheartdisease.com/role-of-garlic-in-heart-disease-prevention.html

Heart Disease Prevention - Can Restless Legs Syndrome Cause Heart Disease?

Restless legs syndrome (RLS), also known as Willis-Ekbom disease, is a common neurological sensorimotor disorder that causes unpleasant or uncomfortable sensations in the legs. It seems unlikely, but research has found a connection between RLS and heart disease. Click to find out more:

https://www.howtopreventheartdisease.com/can-restless-legs-syndrome-cause-heart-disease.html

Heart Disease Prevention -How Is Vitamin D Related To Hypertension and Heart Disease?

Getting sufficient Vitamin D is paramount because it is an important nutrient that handles several of the body’s metabolic actions. Since the mid-1980s, a growing number of researches has suggested that Vitamin D may play a role in blood pressure regulation and heart health. Click the following link to find out more:

https://www.howtopreventheartdisease.com/how-is-vitamin-d-related-to-hypertension-and-heart-disease.html

Heart Disease Prevention - Link Between Thyroid Hormone And Heart Disease

Heart disease can be caused by traditional risk factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes mellitus, high blood cholesterol, obesity. Research showed that too little or too much of thyroid hormone can lead to heart disease, too. In fact, thyroid disease is a fairly common treatable cause of heart diseases. Find out more at:

https://www.howtopreventheartdisease.com/link-between-thyroid-hormone-and-heart-disease.html

Why Keeping Healthy Weight Is Important For Hypertension Prevention?

Hypertension or high blood pressure is a risk factor for a number of chronic diseases including heart disease, stroke, diabetes and kidney disease. So if one can keep his or her blood pressure in check, the risk of getting these diseases can be minimized.

At the AHA (American Heart Association) meeting on September 14, 2017, a new research paper was presented indicating that healthy weight (measured as a body mass index less than 25 kg/m2) maintained throughout life  is important to help keep blood pressure in check, and it is more so than 4 other health behaviors studied! The other 4 behaviors are: never smoking; up to 7 alcoholic drinks weekly for women and up to 14 for men; 150 minutes or more moderate to vigorous physical activity per week and eating a healthy diet, based on adhering to the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) eating plan.

4,630 participants of the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults Study were assessed for the study. They were 18 to 30 years old in 1985 and 1986 at the onset of the study. During the 25-year follow-up, researchers measured blood pressure and health behaviors 8 times, until participants were in middle age. They found participants who maintained a healthy body weight were more likely to have normal blood pressure as they grew older. They were 41 percent less likely to have an increasing blood pressure as they aged.

Maintaining physical activity or eating a healthy diet were not associated with changes in blood pressure during the 25-year period. Never smoking and maintaining no or moderate alcohol consumption were associated with less of an increase in blood pressure by middle age. However, people in the study who maintained at least 4 health behaviors were 27 percent more likely to have a normal blood pressure from early adulthood through middle age. But the researchers said that a larger study is required to confirm these because they may have been a chance finding.

Weight may contribute to high blood pressure in a number of ways, according to health experts. When one gains weight, the heart has to work harder because the weight has a compressive effect on the blood pressure. As one ages, the blood vessels stiffens and this may produce cardiac problems. For people who do not gain weight, the stiffening will be less, and keeps blood pressure lower. This may prevent more serious outcomes.

Undoubtedly, the findings provide evidence that having a normal body weight is very important in maintaining a normal blood pressure from early and into middle adulthood. While the other 4 behaviors were not as closely related to changes in blood pressure over time, they may still play an paramount role since they can help in weight management.

Heart Disease Prevention - Why Is Hypertension Linked To Atrial Fibrillation?

Hypertension is a condition in which the blood is pumped around the body at high pressure. If this goes on for too long, the added stress on the artery can cause damage that might narrow and cut blood flow. Because of this, all kinds of problems can then happen and one of them is atrial fibrillation. Find out more at:

http://howtopreventheartdisease.com/why-is-hypertension-linked-to-atrial-fibrillation.html

Can Vision Be Affected By Hypertension?

Hypertension or high blood pressure is not only a common risk factor for heart disease, stroke and kidney disease but also capable of causing eye disease. Hypertension can damage the blood vessels in the retina, which is the area at the back of the eye where images focus. This can limit the retina’s function and put pressure on the optic nerve, thus causing vision problems. The condition is known as hypertensive retinopathy (HR) that can lead to blurred vision or the complete loss of sight. People with hypertension and diabetes are at an even greater risk for developing this condition.

Most people with HR do not have symptoms. It is usually discovered during a routine eye examination or until the condition has progressed extensively. Some possible signs and symptoms may include eye swelling, reduced vision, double vision accompanied by headaches, or vision loss.

The extent and severity of the retinopathy is generally represented on a scale of 1 to 4. In Grade 1, there is a mild narrowing of the retinal artery. Grade 2 is similar to Grade 1, but there is more severe or tighter constrictions of the retinal artery. This phenomenon is known as arteriovenous (AV) nipping. In additional to all the signs of Grade 2, Grade 3 also has retinal edema, microaneurysms, cotton-wool spots (fluffy white lesions on the retina), and retinal hemorrhages (bleeding). Grade 4 has severe signs of Grade 3 along with optic disc swelling called papilledema and macular edema. People with Grade 4 retinopathy have a higher risk for stroke and may have kidney or heart disease.

Patients with HR on the lower end of the scale may not have any symptoms, but for those on Grade 4, their optic nerve may begin to swell and cause more serious vision problems. High-grade retinopathy (Grade 3 and 4) tends to indicate serious blood pressure concerns and is associated with higher rates of stroke, heart attack, congestive heart failure and even death.

A study released in 2013 in journal ‘Hypertension’ reported that HR predicts the long-term risk of stroke, independent of blood pressure, even in treated patients with hypertension with good hypertension control. Another paper published in July 2008 in ‘Journal of vascular and interventional neurology’ suggested the presence of hypertensive retinal vascular changes is linked to higher risk of cardiovascular disease (heart disease and stroke).

Controlling and lowering hypertension with a combination of lifestyle changes and medications are the key for an effective treatment for HR. Lifestyle changes include adopting healthy diet, getting regular physical activity, and reducing salt intake. Smokers should kick the habit and those who are overweight should lose weight. Medications must be taken as prescribed by doctors. Last but not least, patients should go for regular medical examinations to ensure that their blood pressure readings are normal.

Blood Pressure Swing Can Be Bad For Heart!

Any healthy adults who are not using any hypertensive medications is said to have high blood pressure if 3 to 6 elevated blood pressure measurements are recorded over several months. If the 2 pressures (systolic vs diastolic) fall in different categories, the higher one is used to determine the severity of hypertension. For instance, the normal blood pressure is 120/80 mmHg. So if one has a reading of 130/80 or 120/90 mmHg, he or she is still considered as having high blood pressure. This is the standard definition of high blood pressure, determined by the Joint National Committee (JNC) on Detection, Evaluation, and Diagnosis of High Blood Pressure.

High blood pressure or hypertension is a risk factor for many diseases including heart disease, heart failure, stroke and kidney failure. While sustained high blood pressure is not desirable, big swings in blood pressure may be equally bad for the health, warned by a recent study.

Researchers from the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute in Salt Lake City tracked and reviewed medical records of 10,903 patients. They found that those patients whose systolic blood pressure varied by as much as 30 or 40 points between doctor visits were more likely to die over 5 years of follow-up than those with less extreme variances in their blood pressure. Results of the study was reported at the 2017 American Heart Association Scientific Sessions in Anaheim, CA, on November 13.

Fluctuations in blood pressure may, in fact, raise the risk of heart attack, stroke, heart failure, kidney disease or failure, vision loss, sexual dysfunction and peripheral artery disease. An earlier finding published online July 27, 2015 in ‘Annals of Internal Medicine’ suggested that people with wide variations in systolic blood pressure readings were linked to a higher risk of heart attack, fatal heart failure and stroke. Researchers analysed data from a major trial involving the use of medicines to fight high blood pressure and high cholesterol for nearly 26,000 patients.

Compared to patients whose blood pressure remained stable, an average blood pressure variation of about 15 mmHg was found to link to a 30 percent raised risk of heart attack or fatal heart disease, and a 46 percent raised risk of stroke. The risk for death from any cause was increased by 58 percent, too.

In another study published August 9, 2016 in journal ‘BMJ’ indicated that long term variability in blood pressure might put a person at the same risk for cardiac problems and mortality outcomes as high cholesterol.

White coat hypertension (blood pressure is higher at the doctor's office often because the patient is anxious about the appointment), medications, emotional upset, anxiety, and stress, temperature, as well as street drugs are some of the possible factors that can cause fluctuations in blood pressure.

To manage blood pressure fluctuations, one should see a doctor to determine the underlying cause. The doctor will review the medical history, get to know the patient’s lifestyle and perform some tests. Sometimes, medications can be prescribed to stablize the blood pressure and to prevent dangerous swings in blood pressure. Meanwhile, patient may have to make some lifestyle changes, for instance, stop smoking, eat more fruits, engage regular exercise, limit alcohol consumption, find ways to reduce stress, consume less sodium (salt), and lower caffeine intake.

Heart Disease Prevention - Chronic Coughing Can Be A Sign Of Heart Failure!

Coughing actually helps the body get rid of substances that do not belong in the lungs and windpipe, like inhaled dirt or food, and things that are irritating to the air passages. Nevertheless, a cough may be an important sign that heart failure treatment is adequate or even that the treatment may be causing problems. Find out more at:

Heart Disease Prevention - Chronic Coughing Can Be A Sign Of Heart Failure!

Getting Blood Pressure Reading On A Smartphone?

Hypertension, or more commonly known as high blood pressure, is a growing worldwide problem. 45 percent of people in developed nations and 55 percent of people in developing nations have hypertension and do not even know it. Without appropriate control, hypertension can ultimately lead to heart disease, stroke and chronic kidney disease.

People with hypertension may not have any symptoms at all. So, the first step is to regularly check the blood pressure using sphygmomanometer or blood pressure monitor. The monitor can be manual or digital, battery-powered. The size of blood pressure monitor has been reduced since it was first made but they are still not small enough for users to carry around.

Good news is that, one can soon use a finger to touch a smartphone case to have instant and accurate blood pressure readings. Researchers from Michigan State University, University of Maryland, and Chonnam National University, Korea revealed in March 7, 2018 issue of ‘Science Translational Medicine’ that they developed a sensor that turns a smartphone into a device capable of checking a person’s blood pressure. Smartphones are very common nowadays, with 2.5-hour daily usage by average adult. The researcher argue that people are more apt to use a blood pressure monitor if it is embedded in a smartphone device.

According to researchers, they invented a special phone case, using high-tech 3-D printing, that contains an embedded optical sensor on top of a force sensor. The optical sensor is photoplethysmography (PPG), which is an inexpensive optical tool that measures blood volume changes, and the force sensor is a thin-filmed force transducer that measures applied pressure. PPG has already been used to measure heart rate. Some fitness trackers and even the Samsung Galaxy are equipped with PPG heart rate monitors.

When a user presses a finger onto the sensor, it provides measurable pressure on an artery in the finger in the same way that a blood pressure cuff squeezes an artery in the arm. That information is then fed to a smartphone app to convert the data to a real-time blood pressure reading, displayed on the phone. The usability of the device was tested on 30 people and found that about 90 percent could position their finger correctly and get consistent readings after only 1 or 2 attempts.

The new device could indeed help improve rates of blood pressure measurement, and lead to better blood pressure control so as to reduce the incidence of strokes and heart attacks. But as any other medical devices, more rigorous testing must be done before it can become standard and make available to the public for use.

Do Foods Play Important Role In Managing Hypertension?

Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, is not only a chronic disease by itself but also a risk factor for many other medical disorders including heart disease and stroke. While hypertension is not curable, it can be controlled with medication as well as adoption of healthy lifestyle. 

Foods do play an important role in managing hypertension. For the past 3 decades, research has been conducted to search for the best dietary recommendations for hypertension, but in reality, the vast majority of dietary recommendations are very similar to healthy diet recommendations in general.

There are 3 things that people with hypertension should avoid. First of all, they should reduce or simply not drink alcohol since drinking too much alcohol can raise blood pressure. Although studies have shown that low levels of alcohol intake could have protective effects on the heart, research has also clearly indicated that consuming alcohol is unhealthy for people who already have hypertension.

If one really wants to drink, he or she should limit the alcohol consumption to no more than 2 drinks per day for men and no more than 1 drink for women. A drink is a 12 oz. beer, 4 oz. of wine, 1.5 oz. of 80-proof spirits or 1 oz. of 100-proof spirits.

People love tasty foods, which unfortunately, are often packed with high salt. Salt or more precisely sodium intake is another thing for which hypertensive people should watch out. Too much sodium consumption is bad for the heart regardless of one's blood pressure status. Besides table salt, most of the sodium in the diets comes from packaged and processed foods. Hence, eating less of these foods can reduce sodium intake, lower blood pressure or preventing hypertension from developing in the first place. As suggested by most health organizations, limit for sodium intake is no more than 2,300 mg a day, and an ideal limit of no more than 1,500 mg per day for most adults, especially for those with hypertension.

Saturated fats are bad for the health, especially for people with hypertension because it raises blood cholesterol levels. High levels of LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol in the blood increase the risk of heart disease and hypertension. Foods like beef, lamb, pork, butter and poultry with skin are all high in saturated fats, and they should be consumed as little as possible.

If one wants a more structured eating plan to manage blood pressure, perhaps he or she can consider a program called DASH, which stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. Its basic rules include replacing foods high in total and saturated fat with fish, poultry, seeds and nuts, eating more fruits and vegetables, whole grains, limiting alcohol and caffeine intake, and staying away from processed foods.

Besides diet, patients with hypertension should also exercise regularly, stop smoking, reduce stress, lose some weight if they were overweight. More importantly, do not skip medications.

Heart Disease Prevention - How Would Hypertension Affect Health?

Patients with hypertension are often unaware of their condition because there are usually no obvious signs or symptoms. Uncontrolled hypertension makes one more likely to get not only heart disease and stroke but also other diseases like kidney disease, eye diseases, and peripheral artery disease (PAD). Find out more at:

Heart Disease Prevention - How Would Hypertension Affect Health?

Heart Disease Prevention - Why Do Holidays Raise Heart Disease Risk?

During holidays, it is very common for people including healthy young adults to develop arrhythmia, most frequently atrial fibrillation, after several days of binge drinking. The condition is known as Holiday Heart Syndrome (HHS). HHS is usually temporary, but for some people, especially those with heart disease or who is at increased risk for heart disease, HHS can pose a special risk. Find out more at:

Heart Disease Prevention - Why Do Holidays Raise Heart Disease Risk?

Heart Disease Prevention - Can Garlic Prevent Hypertension?

Numerous studies have unveiled the amazing health potential of garlic, ranging from removing heavy metals to the prevention of numerous ailments, such as the common cold, hardening of the arteries, and even in slowing the aging process. Garlic is often employed for conditions associated with heart and blood system, including high blood pressure… Find out more at:

Heart Disease Prevention - Can Garlic Prevent Hypertension?

Can Raising NEAT Help Lose Weight?

Living in times of great convenience, most people can move from one place to another either by car or public transportation without too much walking and energy expenditure. Meanwhile, modern people are prone to sedentary lifestyle, spending too much time sitting down. An average of 10 to 15 hours a day are spent sitting in office, in transportation, watching television, browsing or surfing the internet at home. Such lifestyle, together with unhealthy diet, has created obesity epidemic. Obesity can lead to many complications including Type-2 diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and stroke.

If a person sits for too long, his or her body’s natural thermogenesis (calorie-burning capability) is suppressed, and he or she cannot incite the body’s full capacity to burn calories. In order to prevent from getting weight gain, people need to have more physical activities on a daily basis.

A study that was published 2012 in the online journal ‘BMJ Open’ reported that people who reduce excessive sitting to less than 3 hours a day live 2 years longer and the gain in life expectancy from reducing excessive television viewing to less than 2 hours a day is 1.38 years. Sitting for extended periods of time has been linked with heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and obesity, according to researchers.

Most experts encourage people to engage with vigorous exercise several times a week to keep fit and avoid gaining weight. But there is another way for one to burn more calories all day long: increasing NEAT time by moving more and sitting less. The theory behind this is simple: it takes energy (calories) to move even the smallest muscle.

Research published in journal ‘Archives of Internal Medicine’ (now known as JAMA Internal Medicine) found that the amount of everyday activity a person gets, beyond the 30 minutes of traditional exercise, might matter even more for his or her overall health than trips to the gym.

NEAT, which stands for non-exercise activity thermogenesis, is the energy a person expends each day for everything that is not sleeping, eating, or sports-like activities. These are non-exercise activities that would normally be performed each day. According to researchers at the Mayo Clinic, NEAT could play a major role in whether or not a person loses or gains weight.

Depending on everyone’s activity level, calories burned from increasing NEAT time each day can range from 1,500 to 2,400 calories. According to the American Heart Association, obese individuals tend to be seated for 2.5 hours per day more than sedentary lean counterparts. Researchers estimated that if obese individuals could adopt the NEAT habits, they could burn an additional 350 calories per day.

There are many things that can raise the NEAT. For instance, one can use the stairs instead of escalator or elevator. This would probably help burn an extra 50 to 100 calories on average each day. Other things like walking, washing dishes, doing garden work, or playing with kids can all increase the NEAT.