6 WAYS TO DE-AGE YOUR HEART
Over 80% of us have one preventable risk factor for heart disease and 60% have three or more. You can’t change your next birthday, but you can help make your heart healthier and younger.
1. BE WEIGHT WISE ‘Some of us think, “I’ve got a big waist, that’s just the way I am,” but even a little weight loss goes a long way,’ says Dr Stamp. In studies, people who lost just five to 10% of their body weight decreased their risk of high blood pressure and diabetes.
2. GET MOVING Exercise is one of the best medicines available, says Dr Stamp, and she has a simple mantra: some is better than none, and more is better than some. ‘Exercise is proven to lift your mood, it’s good for the heart, lungs, brain and bones and it can even reduce the risk of some types of cancer.’ 3. CHECK BLOOD PRESSURE High blood pressure is 140/90 or above, but ideally it should be below 120/80 unless your doctor says otherwise. Don’t smoke, limit your salt intake, keep your weight down, consume no more than 14 units of alcohol a week (six 175ml glasses of 13% wine) and exercise, of course! 4. LOWER CHOLESTEROL Total levels should be below
5mmol/l with LDL (low-density lipoprotein or ‘bad’ cholesterol) below 3mmol/l and levels of HDL (highdensity lipoprotein or ‘good’ cholesterol) over 1mmol/l. Exercise and a good diet reduce cholesterol.
5. FEED YOUR HEART The Mediterranean diet, rich in fish, vegetables, nuts and olive oil, is consistently associated with good heart health. This means using olive or rapeseed oil, limiting processed meats, such as burgers, and avoiding foods with trans fats, including cakes, biscuits, pastries and takeaways.
6. SLEEP MORE A number of studies have shown that going short of sleep isn’t good for our heart, says Dr Stamp. ‘As someone who is often chronically lacking in sleep, this idea scares me.’ Sleep deprivation is associated with other conditions that increase the risk of heart disease, such as diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity. Catch-up sleep doesn’t have the same benefits, so aim for about eight hours each night and make tackling sleep problems a priority.
To get an interactive heart health check and discover your heart age, visit nhs.uk/conditions/nhs-healthcheck/check-your-heart-age-tool/