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Introduction:

Heart diseases are increasing worldwide being leading cause of death.

Also know as cardiovascular disorder involves problems like stroke,

heart attack, hypertension, peripheral arterial disease etc. WHO

suggests cardiovascular diseases are leading cause of death

worldwide. Data suggests 17.3 million people died due to

cardiovascular diseases in 2008. While by 2-3- almost 23.6 million

people will die due to heart diseases. It will mainly include heart

attack and stroke.

Experts suggest unhealthy eating patter and lifestyle is the major

cause of non-communicable diseases such as cancer, diabetes and

cardiovascular disease. Young adults need to adopt healthy lifestyle

and lead disease free life. Lifestyle modification helps in reducing the

risk for diseases such as heart diseases and delays the onset of the

condition.

This “Heart Health Quick Guide” will give you insight to the causes of

cardiovascular diseases; which all control measures can be applied in

daily life to prevent the condition and dietary requirements. Ayurveda

is our ancient science reveals secrets for healthy heart. Get more to

know about keeping your heart Healthy and Happy!

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FACTORS CAUSING HEART DISEASE

There are several factors that cause heart disease. Few of them are

modifiable or controllable and few are non-modifiable or

uncontrollable. Non modifiable factors cannot be changed. We need to

lead our life with the fact, but modifiable factors can be controlled to

lead healthy heart!

1. Age: More than 83% of people dying from heart disease are 65

or older.

2. Sex: Men have a greater risk of heart attack than women.

Though the risk of heart disease in women increases after

menopause.

3. Family history: History of parents or close relatives having heart

diseases increases the risk.

4. Race: The risk is higher among African Americans, Mexican

Americans, and American Indians etc.

These factors are more important. Pay attention

to them and adopt them in your lifestyle modification routine.

Smoking is the major risk factor for heart disease.

Carbon monoxide (from the smoke) and nicotine both put a strain

on the heart by making it work faster. They also increase the risk of

blood clot. Other chemicals in cigarette smoke damage the lining of

your coronary arteries leading to furring of arteries. Smoking

increases the risk of heart disease by 24%

Cholesterol is the fat made by the liver from the

saturated fat that we eat. Cholesterol is essential for healthy cells

but if there is too much in the blood it can lead to coronary heart disease. Cholesterol is carried in the blood stream by lipoproteins.

Non-Modifiable causes:

Modifiable Causes:

1. Smoking:

2. Cholesterol:

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Lipoproteins are mainly of 2 types:

a. LDL-Low Density Lipoproteins

a. HDL- High Density Lipoproteins

LDL is termed as “bad cholesterol”. It tends to build up on arterial walls

increasing the risk of heart disease.

HDL is termed as “good cholesterol”. It carries cholesterol away from

heart.

(Hypertension) IT strains the heart leading to

coronary heart disease. It leads your heart to thicken and become

stiffer. It increases the risk of stroke, heart attack, kidney failure

and congestive heart failure. When high blood pressure exists

along with other risk factors the chances of stroke increases with

many folds.

Sedentary lifestyle increases the risk for any

heart disease. It is a vicious cycle, if you are not active you will gain

wait. Increased weight will put more pressure on your heart, which

asks heart to work more. So getting active throughout the day is

very important.

People having excess body fat especially if it is around the

waist have higher risk of coronary heart disease. A person is

considered obese when his or her weight is 20% or more above

normal weight. The most common measure of obesity is BMI(Body

Mass Index)

About 3 quarter people with diabetes die from some form

of heart or blood vessel disease.

(C-reactive protein): The body produces CRP during the

process of inflammation. It is correlated with heart disease.

Inflammation of arteries has been linked with increase risk of heart

disease. CRP is the marker of inflammation, meaning its presence

indicates an increase inflammation in the body.

Stress in normal part of life, but if left

unattended can lead to emotional, psychological and even physical

problems including coronary artery disease, high blood pressure

and chest pain etc.

3. H igh Blood Pressure:

4. Physical Inactivity:

5. Obesity:

6. Diabetes:

7. High CRP:

8. Uncontrolled stress:

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CONTROL MEASURES FOR HEART DISEASES

You can prevent as well as control coronary heart disease with simple

lifestyle changes and proper medications. Lifestyle changes eg diet

modification, exercise, stress management, smoking and

medications for controlling blood sugar, blood pressure and

cholesterol levels are used. If sever plaque is developed then

treatment may involve catheter based interventions.

ü Following a heart healthy diet is good for the heart patient as well as

the whole family.

ü Diet has to be nutritionally balanced, rich in fiber, low in fat and

moderate low in salt.

ü Have a lot of vegetables , choose lean meat.

ü Choose low fat or fat free dairy products.

ü Avoid foods that are been processed with sodium.

ü Enjoy some fresh fruit everyday.

ü Follow the advice of your doctor or dietitian.

üAvoid alcohol as much as possible.

üIf you choose to drink then have only 1 drink for women and 2

drinks for men per day.

üEach drink means 12 ounce beer, 4 ounce wine.

üAlcohol has a lot of calories so they tend to increase the triglyceride

levels.

üIncreasing your physical activity is the best way to reduce the risk as

well as control coronary heart disease.

üExercise will help you reduce weight and prevent Type2 diabetes.

ü30-60 minutes of exercise daily you should aim at.

Lifestyle changes can be as listed below;

DIET:

ALCOHOL:

EXERCISE:

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SMOKING:

BODY WEIGHT:

MEDICATIONS:

BLOOD PRESSURE:

CHOLESTEROL LOWERING MEDICATIONS:

ASPIRIN:

Cigarette not only affects the lungs but also affects the heart and the

blood vessels increasing the risk for heart disease as well as stroke.

lObesity is not only a major risk for heart disease but also important

for insulin resistance too.

lIt increases the blood pressure too.

lReducing weight will not improve your heart health as well as

decrease the chances of stroke too.

Anybody having blood pressure should be treated with medications.

For people having diabetes doctors usually prefer ACE inhibitors. These

medicines not only reduce your blood pressure but also protect your

heart and kidneys.

If required it may be combination of drugs like thiazide diuretics, beta

blockers, calcium channel blockers etc.

Statins may be prescribed if LDL levels are high.

If triglycerides are on the higher side then niacin or fibrate is

prescribed.

Low dose of Aspirin (75-162mg/day) is given to people already having

coronary heart disease.

But for those who want to prevent the heart disease aspirin doesn't

play any important role.

Combination of proper medication and lifestyle changes will help you www.justforhearts.org

Ayurveda & Heart:

Ayurveda is defined as science of life. Ayu – Life ( Ayu is combination of

four things – mind , body , soul / spirit & sense.Veda – Science.

According to Ayurveda Heart is home of “Ataman” eternal soul, “ojas”

& mind. Heart is the most vital organ & the person as old as her/ his

heart according to Ayurveda. It contains 8 drops of “Ojas” which gives

life , longetivity, bliss & overall immunity.

Ayurvedic healers recognized many years ago what modern science

today- that eating fatty food in excess ( fatty foods do not get digested

completely & create “ama” or toxins in the system) & too much stress

are prime factors that lead to heart damage. Chest pain, angina is

caused by “Kapha dosh”. Accumulated” kapha” blocks the flow of

“prana” into the coronary artery, so that heart muscle does not receive

sufficient blood & oxygen supply.

According to Ayurveda perspective, while discussing heart health, two

equally important aspects that need to be taken into account

Physical Aspects – physical aspects of organ that pumps blood

Emotional Aspect – that experience every human emotion from joy to

sorrow.

1. “Ahar “( Diet)- You can make your diet more heart healthy by eating

lots of fresh fruits, whole grains , vegetables, dressing your veggies

with fresh lime juice & using lime juice & by using heart friendly

spices like black pepper, anti oxidant spice turmeric. Choose fresh

& light foods over processed foods & rich foods.

2. “Vihar” ( Exercise & Physical activity)- 30 min walk not only help

your heart , it will prepare you for the day charging up your

metabolism & circulation.

Ayurvedic recommendation for Healthy Heart:

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1. Rest-

4. Yoga & Meditation

5. “Panchakrama”-

6. Herbs –

Our bodies can only rejuvenates when we give them time to rest. We need time for ourselves, time for simply do nothing.

– Meditation & yoga contribute immensely in offsetting heart disease. Thus, owing to its many positive effect – direct & indirect on the cardiovascular system, yoga assumes a pivotal role in heart care.

Panchkarma removes all “ama” or toxins from your body. It cleanses & nourishes the body, mind, soul on physical, mental & many levels.

Ayurveda is famous for its safe & highly effective herbal medicines. Herbs like arjuna, tulsi, ginger, guggul, bramhi & many mores helps to prevent & heal the heart disease.

Ayurveada believes in prevention & holistic approach to healing.

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Heart is an important organ of human body. Healthy heart ensures well being for an individual. Recent studies by Indian government found that cardiovascular diseases are the first reason for deaths in India. It not only covers urban population but also the rural population. They say 18% adults die due to cardiovascular diseases. Life style and changing eating pattern is the leading cause of heart diseases. How your diet can help you in delaying the onset of heart disease or prevent it?

It is well known that limited intake of fats and oils are recommended

for heart patients. But to prevent them your selection of fats and oils

matters a lot. There is buzz about heart healthy fat, low absorbent

cooking oil etc. Which one do you select? One must go for blend of oils

throughout the month. You can refer to following table to select your

cooking oil for different purpose:

There are three different types of fatty acids: saturated fatty acids,

monounsaturated fatty acids, polyunsaturated fatty acids. Besides

these Trans fatty acids are discussed more frequently. They are

produced during the processing of fats. Saturated fatty acids need to

be restricted in diet. They are present in meat, full fat milk and milk

products, fish etc. Total consumption of saturated fatty acids should

not be more than 7% of your total fat calories.

Important nutrient for heart health: fats and oils

Know about types of fatty acids present in your cooking oil !

Eating for Healthy Heart!

Cooking Method

Baking, over cooking or stirred frying

Sauteing, making sauces and low heat oven cooking

Dressing, dips and marinating (not suitable for high temperature cooking)

Oils

Canola oil, Grape seed oil, extra virgin oil and Peanut oil

Deep frying, Searing, browning Almond oil, avocado oil, hazel nut oil, sunflower oil, refined olive oil etc.

Corn oil, Pumpkin seed oil, Soybean oil, Sesame oil and coconut oil.

Flax seed oil

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Including olives, avocado, and canola in diet ensures intake of monounsaturated fatty acids. They are heart healthy cooking oils. Whereas omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids are part of polyunsaturated fatty acods have many health benefits. To ensure you get their benefits include walnuts, flax seeds, fish, and almonds in daily diet.

Relation between simple carbs and heart diseases!

Simple carbohydrates coming from white rice, white bread, sugar, desserts etc needs to be restricted for diabetic and obese patients. This nutrient also ahs correlation between heart diseases and health. More the simple carbs you consume, it increases the risk for increased triglyceride levels, total cholesterol. These factors are closely associated with the heart health. So simple message comes here is “Include more of whole grains in daily diet to prevent heart disease”. It will help you in controlling weight and thus have positive effect on heart health.

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