Its heart health month Heres how to keep your ticker tuned
Using a salt substitute — in place of regular salt — may significantly decrease the risk of developing high blood pressure.
The Chinese martial art of tai chi may help to reduce blood pressure and improve heart health even more than intense cardio.
And just when many have embraced the Mediterranean diet, a new study shows possible greater health benefits from the so-called “Atlantic diet.”
These are a few of the findings making headline news on heart health in just the last week.
The breadth of available information on heart health is overwhelming at times, but stands to reason: Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men, women, and people of most racial and ethnic groups in the United States.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention one person dies every 33 seconds in the U.S. from cardiovascular disease. In 2021, nearly 700,000 Americans died from heart disease. That’s 1 in every 5 deaths.
And it’s no longer a chronic illness affecting older age groups: More than 18 million Americans over the age of 20 suffer from coronary heart disease. About 2 in 10 deaths from coronary artery disease happen in adults under 65 years old.
February is American Heart Month, a good time to tune up your ticker.
PennLive spoke with Dr. Ashley Zinda, a cardiologist at UPMC, and asked her to outline some basic best-practices guidelines, most of them simple and affordable, to achieve heart health.
DIET: A healthy diet is imperative, Zinda said. The guidelines have not changed drastically in recent years — centering on maintaining a diet that is low in saturated fats; high in whole grains, lean proteins, fruits, nuts and vegetables.
“We know these to be golden heart health advice,” Zinda said. “What we know is that to decrease the risk of having a cardiac event or even preventing another episode, we always talk about maintaining a healthy diet that eliminates saturated fats. Things found in red meat, dairy, coconut oil.”
(Coconut oil has been embraced in recent years as a healthy fat, but Zinda cautions that it has a high saturated fat content, and therefore, may be an unhealthy option for many people.)
The golden medical directive remains almost unchanged in recent years: Eat more lowcalorie, nutrient-rich foods, such as fruits and vegetables; eat smaller amounts of high-calorie, high-sodium foods, such as refined, processed or fast foods.
In addition to eating more vegetables and fruits, increase the amount of whole grains in your diet. Whole grains are good sources of fiber and other nutrients that play a role in regulating blood pressure and heart health.
As you limit saturated and trans fats, think about increasing consumption of foods that actually will decrease the risk of heart disease. These include unsaturated fats, which is the healthy fat found in nuts, avocado, olive oil; at the same time increasing fruits and vegetables.
“These foods are great for weight loss,” Zinda said. “They have a lot of fiber in them. A lot of soluble fiber helps decrease bad cholesterol and increase good cholesterol. And they slow down the digestion leaving you feeling full for longer so you are less likely to be hungry and overeat. Diet is a good foundation. I think a lot of people still to this day don’t pay attention to it but it’s a good building block.”
Curious about the
Atlantic Diet? It’s one of the newest buzz findings on the heart health front, and is largely based on the dietary traditions of northwest Spain and northern Portugal.
A new study found that people who live in that part of the world have some of the lowest incidences of heart disease.
The diet is similar to the Mediterranean Diet and includes fresh fish, particularly cod, with some red meat and pork products, dairy, legumes, fresh vegetables, potatoes typically eaten in vegetable soups, wholegrain bread, and moderate wine consumption. The Atlantic diet places emphasis on homecooked meals — and in particular the social interactions at mealtimes. Sharing meals with friends and family and mindful eating are tenets of this diet.
Any sensible hearthealth diet, like DASH or the Mediterranean diet, is beneficial. The key is adoption.
“I think people know what they should be eating,” Zinda said. “The information is out there but I think it’s just getting the information and applying it to yourself and incorporating it, it’s still something that some people may struggle with or may think it’s something that doesn’t apply to them.”
EXERCISE: This one is a no-brainer. We’ve heard it ad nauseam: One of the simplest ways to promote heart health is to get adequate exercise. Despite decades of public service education, however, Americans fall woefully short of meeting healthy standards when it comes to physical inactivity.