Those that are young often feel immune to disease. It is only when they reach middle age that they tend to be aware of more aches and pains that clue them into taking better care of their general health. Despite age and heredity, the additional stress from this pandemic and crazy political climate that we suddenly find ourselves in to divide the country, we are more stressed than ever. Therefore, you may want to start trying harder to protect your heart because what you thought you knew on how to improve heart health may have changed.
For a few decades, we were told that it may be a good idea to take a low-dose aspirin daily to lower the risk of a heart attack. Of course, this was dependent on certain things such as your medical history, age and overall health. However, some more recent studies are weighing the benefits of daily aspirin for those without prior or a low degree of cardiovascular disease over the risks from major gastrointestinal or extracranial bleeding.
It is common knowledge that being overweight increases your chances of developing cardiovascular disease. What you may not know is that if you constantly diet and then stop and keep putting your body through that cycle, then you are putting yourself more at risk than someone that doesn’t go up and on the scale. Staying at a consistent weight can protect your heart.
People often neglect the important relationship between vaccines and the heart. Yet, did you know that the covid-19 and your yearly flu vaccines also can protect your heart by strengthening the immune system and helping the heart muscle to stay strong?
Once you hear that alcohol is bad for the heart and then it can protect the heart. With this in mind, the jury is still out on that one. Some studies feel that low to moderate amounts of liquor such as from red wine with all its antioxidants and polyphenols with about three glasses a week can be good for you. Others feel that overly indulging with alcohol can cause cardiomyopathy, where the heart muscle is actually damaged while also increasing the risk for a stroke.
These are just some ways that you can assist your heart to keep it ticking longer. Hopefully, you will keep this information in mind.
