The Heart of the Matter
By Stephanie Walsh
To have heart means many things. It means to love, have passion, be generous and forgiving, show kindness and sympathy, be compassionate and have courage. The heart is a symbol for all these things and more, including one major factor in all our lives – state of health.
A Healthy Heart
If you recall from biology or anatomy class, the heart has four chambers – two atria and two ventricles. Each atrium is a depository for blood coming in, while the ventricles pump blood out of the heart.
More specifically, blood circulates through the body and returns back to the right side of the heart – making its way through the right atrium and ventricle. From there, blood gets pumped to the lungs where it exchanges carbon dioxide for a resupply of oxygen before returning to the heart in the left atrium. Finally, this newly oxygenated blood flows into the left ventricle and gets pumped back out to the body for another cycle. The timing of each contraction of the heart is critical, yet it happens automatically without skipping a beat, literally. Even more amazing is the fact that the heart pumps roughly 6 quarts of blood through the body over 1000 times a day. Which means your heart pumps over 6000 quarts of blood in a single day!
It is the heart, and the rest of the circulatory system, that helps bring oxygen and nutrients to every cell in the body. Another important piece of the circulatory system is the endothelium. The endothelium is a thin layer of cells that coat the inside lining of the entire circulatory system – from the heart to blood vessels to even the smallest capillaries. This makes the endothelium very critical to health because it plays an important role in the proper function of every organ in the body, including the heart.
Now a healthy heart can keep chugging along at this pace for decades with nary a peep as long as the endothelium lining is healthy as well. But a life of unhealthy choices, whether inadvertent or deliberate, can lead to a troubling heart.
When Disease Strikes
One major function of the endothelium is to facilitate blood flow. It does this by providing a smooth surface that’s meant to inhibit foreign particles and substances from adhering. However, when chronic inflammation damages the lining and allows cholesterol to stick to the endothelium, plaque begins to form. So when the body has systemic and chronic inflammation, formation of plaque in the heart and arteries occurs which then leads to arteriosclerosis, hardening of arteries and heart disease. Plaque buildup is also a silent condition; it cannot be felt until the situation is severe. So taking care of your heart and circulatory system is not something you should wait to do or take lightly!
Not convinced? Here are some alarming statistics on Heart Disease from the American Heart Association:
Heart disease strikes someone in the U.S. about once every 42 seconds.
Heart disease is the No. 1 cause of death in the United States, killing over 370,000 people a year.
Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women, taking more lives than all forms of cancer combined.
Cardiovascular operations and procedures increased about 28 percent from 2000 to 2010, according to federal data, totaling about 7.6 million in 2010.
About 750,000 people in the U.S. have heart attacks each year. Of those, about 116,000 die.
About 550,000 people in the U.S. have a first-time heart attack each year, and about 200,000 have recurrent heart attacks.
Although this information is scary, the good news is that modest changes to your lifestyle can greatly decrease your risk of being another statistic. The American Heart Association recommends 7 simple life changes for long lasting health.
Smoking. Approximately 20% of all deaths from heart disease in the U.S. are directly related to cigarette smoking. Your risk of heart disease and heart attack greatly increases with the number of cigarettes you smoke.
If you smoke, find the support you need to quit for good.
Body Weight. 21% of ischemic heart disease is attributable to a BMI (Body Mass Index) above 21. As your BMI increases, so does your risk of heart disease and stroke.
If your body weight is putting you at risk, work with a nutritionist and/or personal trainer to help you get back to a healthy weight.
Cholesterol. Approximately 73.5 million adults (31.7%) in the US have high LDL (aka “bad”) cholesterol. If your total cholesterol is high you have twice the risk for heart disease than someone with normal cholesterol levels.
If you have high cholesterol, work with your doctor and nutritionist to help reduce your total cholesterol numbers.
Blood Pressure. In the US, 1 out of every 3 adults (77.9 million) have high blood pressure. About 69% of people who have a first heart attack, 77% who have a first stroke, and 74% who have congestive heart failure had blood pressure higher than 140/90mmHg.
If you have high blood pressure, speak with your doctor to determine the best steps you can take to lower your blood pressure.
Blood Sugar. Over time, high blood sugar levels will damage nerves and blood vessels. This leads to complications such as heart disease and stroke, the leading causes of death among people with diabetes.
If you are diabetic or pre-diabetic, make an appointment with your doctor and a nutritionist to help get your blood sugar under control.
Physical Activity. You can double your risk of dying from a cardiovascular event just by being inactive. Walking at least two hours a week can reduce the incidence of premature death from cardiovascular disease by about 50%.
If you are currently inactive, or workout less than 2 hours per week, start adding in short walks several times per week and consider hiring a personal trainer.
Healthy Diet. A diet high in processed fats, trans fats, refined carbohydrates, sodium and junk food leads to high levels of cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar as well as increased body weight – all of which contribute to increased risk of heart disease.
Make an appointment with a nutritionist to help work toward a more heart friendly diet.
How Food is a Heartbreaker
One quick way to reduce your risk of heart disease is to start eliminating some of the foods that contribute to chronic inflammation and plaque formation. Below is a list of foods to start reducing in your diet.
Foods High in Salt. Too much sodium increases blood pressure. If sodium intake is consistently excessive, it can snowball into uncontrolled high blood pressure, hardening of the arteries and eventually heart disease. Although some foods high in salt are obvious, some are also considered healthy. Read labels to see how much sodium you’re getting in your diet. Here are some of the top offenders.
Chips, pretzels and salted nuts
Prepared boxed meals
Canned vegetables and soups
Soups from restaurants and your local grocer.
Cold cuts
Beef Jerky
Frozen meals
Catchup
Tomato sauce
Vegetable juice
Capers and olives
Cottage Cheese
Foods Containing Trans Fats. Trans fats not only clog arteries, they damage the endothelial lining and create inflammation in the body. This triple whammy effect dramatically increases your risk of heart disease. The following foods are some of the highest in trans fats. Work at completely eliminating these and any foods that contain hydrogenated, partially hydrogenated or fractionated oils – code for trans fat – and you will greatly enhance your heart health.
Coffee creamer
Frozen pies and desserts
Frozen dairy dessert and some ice creams
Microwave popcorn
Margarine
Biscuits and croissants from a can
Shelf stable muffins and pastries
Foods High in Sugar. Every time blood sugar spikes in the body, a process called glycation occurs. During glycation, sugar adheres to collagen, elastin and other parts of the body such as blood vessels, weakening those structures. Glycation creates inflammation throughout the body, and that chronic inflammation can lead to heart disease. Avoiding obvious sources of sugar like cakes, pastries, desserts, muffins and sugary drinks will be a great start. Also make sure to read labels on the following foods to see how much hidden sugar you may be consuming.
Yogurt
Protein and energy bars
Coffee drinks
Chinese food (many sauces are high in sugar and sodium)
Fruit juices
Salad dressings
Tomato sauce
Granola
Milk alternatives, such as soy, almond or coconut milks
Remember, for plaque to form in the heart and arteries, there first needs to be an environment of inflammation. That’s why a heart healthy diet is also an anti-inflammatory diet.
Foods Your Heart Hearts
A heart healthy and anti-inflammatory diet is much easier to obtain than you think! Below is a list of some amazing and tasty foods you can start adding to your grocery list.
Incorporating many of these foods in your meal plan throughout the week, and reducing or eliminating the inflammatory foods listed above, can greatly improve your heart health.
