BUSTING THE HEALTH MYTHS

MYTH ‘I should stay away from all fats to keep my heart healthy’

BUSTED ‘As someone who loves both butter and olive oil, I was delighted when “butter being bad” was finally confined to the bin of medical myths,’ says Dr Malcolm Finlay, consultant cardiac electrophysiologist and cardiologist. ‘But, of course, everything in moderation! Home cooking with an eye on portion size and cutting out junk food is probably the best recipe for a healthy diet.’ We also need some fat, as it helps the body absorb vitamins A, D and E – and some types even protect our hearts. Monounsaturated fats found in olive oil, rapeseed oil, avocados and some nuts (including almonds, Brazils and peanuts), help maintain our levels of ‘good’

HDL cholesterol, while reducing levels of ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol.

MYTH ‘I’m not overweight, so I won’t have high blood pressure or high cholesterol levels’

BUSTED ‘High blood pressure and cholesterol are more common in obese people, but that doesn’t mean that if you’re not overweight, you’re not at risk,’ explains Dr Finlay. ‘Even mildly raised blood pressure increases your chance of a heart attack or stroke, so it’s important to get checked,’ he adds.

MYTH ‘I have heart disease, so I can’t exercise’

BUSTED ‘If you have heart disease, you need to exercise,’ says

Dr Finlay. ‘Of course, if you’re competing at elite level or running a marathon, I’d suggest taking advice from your GP. But moderate, regular exercise benefits most people with heart disease. Exercise has huge benefits for the body, mind, bones, muscles and heart.’

MYTH ‘If I take an aspirin a day, it will stop me having a heart attack’

BUSTED ‘For many years, aspirin was advised,’ says Dr Finlay. Prescription-only, low-dose aspirin is a blood-thinning medicine to help prevent heart attacks and strokes in high-risk individuals. ‘But the benefits of having an aspirin a day are probably less than first thought. Studies have shown it isn’t as effective as newer medication at preventing strokes in some heart conditions. Plus, people are experiencing more side effects than was previously known, including risk of internal bleeding,’ he adds. ‘It is no substitute for controlling blood pressure and cholesterol, treating diabetes and maintaining a healthy weight.’