February, 2015 by Daniel Wyatt, P4

Fe b r u a ry is A me r i ca n He a r t Mo n th !

Also included in this issue:

Does heart health deserve it’s own nationally recognized month? Does it de-

serve an entire newsletter? Here are the numbers. You decide! Its Amazing

Heart Facts!

Blood pressure, cholesterol, nutrition, exercise: What you NEED to know!

Science fiction...minus the fiction. Interesting science relating to our organ of the

month.

What you n e ed t o know !

The human heart is an amazing organ capable of feats that are so profound it is difficult for our

minds to imagine. In observance of National Heart Health Month, this issue of Pharm Phacts

shares with you the facts we know about this incredible living machine in hopes of convincing you

that it is worth the time and effort to take care of yours by optimizing and preserving its function.

We’ll take a quick look at the following four topics as they relate to heart health: cholesterol,

blood pressure, nutrition, and exercise. For each topic, only the most useful, relevant, and interest-

ing information will be able to be included.

Grab your Healthy Tigers results that were provided to you following your clinic visit and see what

you can do to preserve or improve your cardiovascular health. Your heart works 24/7 for you...you

owe it one.

In an average lifetime, the

heart pumps approximately 1

million barrels of blood

Trivia: How many supertankers would be

required to contain this amount?

The infographic on the left shows a super taker (shown in

red) in comparison to some of the tallest buildings in the

world.

The aorta is the largest artery

in the body. Ascending from

the heart, it is almost 2.5 to 3

cm on average.

3 cm

Capillaries are the smallest blood

vessels in the body...so small that

it takes ten of them to equal the

thickness of a human hair.

Graphic to the right is 3 cm, when this publication

is at 100% viewing size.

Answer: At least three!

AMAZING HEART FACTS!

Which day of the year has the highest occurrence of heart attacks? Christmas Day. This is followed by December 26. Furthermore, there is a 50% greater

occurrence of heart attacks in the winter months as compared to the summer.

Why? Stress, less physical activity, and worse diet might all be factors.

How many heart beats in a day? 100,000. This equals 35 million beats per

year. And more than 2.7 billion in an average lifetime.

Annual number of Americans who have a heart attack : About 720,000, of which

approximately 515,000 had not had a prior heart attack.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in both men and women. About

600,000 lives are lost each year in the U.S. Coronary artery disease accounts for

380,000 of those lives.

Trivia: Which of the amazing facts on this page are the

only ones that we can change?

CHOLESTEROL

High-density lipoproteins (HDL) are commonly referred to as the

“good” type of cholesterol. If your HDL is at optimal levels, this lowers

your risk for heart disease.

How to raise your HDL:

Aerobic exercise (walking, running, biking, hiking, swimming, etc.)

Fatty fishes, such as salmon, mackerel, and albacore tuna.

Low-density lipoproteins (LDLs) are commonly referred to as “bad” type

of cholesterol.

How to lower your LDL:

Medication (primarily statin medications such as Lipitor®

(atorvastatin), Crestor®, etc.)

Exercise (30 minutes per day, at least 5 days per week)

Follow the dietary recommendations (ESPECIALLY limiting saturated fat intake, and avoiding trans fats altogether)

In addition to HDL and LDL, there are also triglycerides which are reported when you have your blood cholesterol levels

checked. Triglyceride levels are easily and immediately affected by diet.

In contrast, LDL and HDL levels generally take several weeks to observe major differences in measured values. This is be-

cause the LDL and HDL levels are largely determined by what is made in the liver — much more so than what comes

from your dietary cholesterol intake.

Fact: It is recommended that everyone 20 or older should be screened for high cholesterol at least once every five

years. More frequent screenings are needed for anyone who has higher risk factors such as diabetes, smoking, and/or

an immediate family history of heart disease.

BLOOD PRESSURE High blood pressure does not just affect the heart. It can lead to vision loss, kidney damage, erectile dysfunction, stroke, and heart failure.

What your blood pressure numbers mean:

Systolic blood pressure (the number on the top) is the amount of

pressure in the arteries when the heart pumps.

Diastolic blood pressure (the number on the bottom) is the amount

of pressure measured when the heart is at rest.

Normal values are 120/80 mmHg (Lower blood pressure is normal and healthy in most circumstances). If

you have been told that you have high blood pressure, the goal for most people is for it to be lowered to

<140/90. Certain patient groups have different goals of blood pressure, so its important to discuss your

target blood pressure levels with your physician or pharmacist.

Estimate how lifestyle changes can reduce your blood pressure with this

online tool provided by the American Heart Association.

http://www.heart.org/beatyourrisk/en_US/hbpRiskCalc.html?hasSet=true

EXERCISE

Four main types of exercise are recognized.

Aerobic exercise, includes endurance activities such as run-

ning, swimming.

Anaerobic exercise, such as weight lifting.

Balance exercise, such as yoga.

Stretching, and activities that improve flexibility.

The current recommended exercise goal is moderate to vigorous activity for 30 minutes a day, five times a

week. This may be divided into intervals. For example, 10 minutes of jumping jacks, three times a day would

reach the 30 minute recommendation level.

Tips

Desk job? Get up and walk at least 5 minutes every hour. Or try “Deskercise” [ LINK ]

Buy a pedometer and shoot for 10,000 steps a day

Don’t like going to the gym, but need someone to try to keep your pace? Try searching for exercise vide-

os on YouTube.com

Any amount of exercise is better than no amount of exercise

NUTRITION

Do include nutritious items such as vegetables, fruits, and

whole grains.

Do pay attention to dietary fiber intake (goal of 25 g/day).

Limit intake of sweets, high-fat dairy, and red meat.

How much saturated fat is ideal? No more than 5-6% of your

total calories.

Meal plans such as the ASH dietary pattern, the USDA Food

Pattern, or the AHA Diet are recommended.

Limit processed foods, which can be loaded with salt, as well as saturated and trans fats.

NEWSFLASH!

Lack of exercise responsible for twice as many early deaths as obesity [ LINK ]

Smaller Snacking is Smart Snacking: New study shows 'just a bite' will satisfy [ LINK ]

Size matters when convincing your brain to eat healthier foods [ LINK ]

References:

1. 2013 AHA/ACC/TOS guideline for the management of overweight and obesity in adults: a report of the

American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines and The

Obesity Society. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2014;63(25):2985-3023.

2. American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines. “2013

AHA/ACC guideline on Lifestyle Management to Reduce Cardiovascular Risks.” J Am Coll Cardiol. 2014;63

(25):2960-84.

3. American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines. "2013

ACC/AHA Guideline on the Treatment of Blood Cholesterol to Reduce Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Risk

in Adults." J Am Coll Cardiol. 2014;63(25):2889-934.

4. Kahraman H, Ozaydin M, Varol E, Aslan SM, Dogan A, Altinbas A, et al. The Diameters of the Aorta and Its

Major Branches in Patients with Isolated Coronary Artery Ectasia. Tex Heart Inst J. 2006;33(4):463–468.

5. Heart Disease Facts. [Internet] Center for Disease Control. [Cited January 16, 2015] Available from: http://

www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/facts.htm

6. Heart Facts. [Internet] Public Broadcastic System. [Cited January 17, 2015] Available from: http://

www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/heart/heartfacts.html

7. Why are there winter heart attack spikes? [Internet] Medical News Today. [Cited January 17, 2015] No-

vember 19, 2004. Available from: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/16572.php

All photos included are utilized under Creative Commons licensing.