Heart attack, or myocardial infarction (MI), is a serious medical condition which occurs when there is a blockage of blood supply to the heart.
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Preventing a Heart Attack
An insufficient supply of blood to the heart can severely damage the heart muscle, which can be life-threatening.
Fortunately, there are some simple ways in which you can reduce your risk of a heart attack. Here are 3 easy tips that can help you to improve your heart health and to protect yourself from a heart attack.
Go for a Walk
Your physical activity plays a great role in maintaining your body in a good health. However, it doesn’t mean that you need to spend long hours at the gym, doing intense cardio or lifting workouts.
Sometimes, the simplest exercises, such as walking, can have an immense effect on your health. Walking is the best exercise that can provide you with numerous health benefits.
By going for a walk a few times a day, you can decrease the possibility of developing diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol levels.
Also, walking can help you to energize your body and to lose weight. A recent research found out that brisk walking lowers the risk of a heart attack on the same scale as jogging does.
Follow a Mediterranean Diet
Various studies have confirmed that the consumption of healthy fats can significantly decrease the risk of developing a heart disease.
The Mediterranean diet is the best diet for improving your heart health and preventing a heart attack. This diet is characterized by an increased consumption of olive oil, seafood, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and whole grains.
A study, conducted at the University of Athens, Greece, showed that the people who eat foods which are associated with the Mediterranean diet have CRP (C-reactive protein) levels that are 20% lower than those who don’t consume these foods.
This is important because high levels of CRP are considered to be responsible for increasing the risk of coronary heart disease, heart attack, stroke, high blood pressure, as well as diabetes.
In order to protect your heart health, you should substitute the meat for seafood, replace the butter with olive oil or canola oil, and use healthy spices and herbs instead of salt.
Don’t Smoke Cigarettes
The consumption of cigarettes is commonly associated with breathing problems and lung cancer. However, smoking is also a leading cause of a heart disease.
In fact, 20% of the heart disease deaths in the U.S. are directly linked to smoking. If you smoke, you are twice as likely to experience a heart attack as someone who doesn’t smoke.
Cigarette smoking reduces the levels of oxygen in the heart, increases the blood pressure and heart rate, stimulates a formation of more blood clotting, and damages the cells that line the coronary arteries, which leads to a coronary artery disease.
If you are a smoker, you should consider quitting in order to protect your health and the health of the people surrounding you.
When you smoke, the people around you are also exposed to the risk of developing heart problems, chronic respiratory conditions, as well as cancer.