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Published on
03/03/2022
Everyone knows how essential our heart is to the daily functionality of our bodies, pumping blood through our blood vessels to the essential organs and limbs, despite this, heart disease is the largest circulatory condition in the UK according to the British Heart Foundation with a staggering 7.6 million people currently affected by it.
John Fleck – over 150 appearances for The Blades
Heart problems recently have affected professional athletes, specifically in the world of football. The most recent case of this was during a Sheffield United game against reading where 30 year old Scottish Midfielder John Fleck collapsed unexpectedly in the second half of their November clash with Reading.
The play was halted with The Sun reporting him to have received 10 minutes of urgent care on the pitch. This is a re-occuring case with with professional athletes such as Alphonzo Davies, Christian Erikson and Sergio Aguero having their careers halted due to issues with their heart.
This is a tremendous issue specifically in the UK and we believe education comes before change. Because of this we’d like to share 4 easy steps you can take to lessen your risk of heart disease
1. Healthy Diet = Heart Health
The British Heart Foundation describe the diet for a healthy heart as a “pattern” as you don’t just focus on one type of food but what you eat over days, weeks and months. Specifically, cutting out sources of LDL (bad) cholesterol which leads to a build-up cholesterol in arteries causing plaque to appear.
What foods should we include & exclude in this pattern? Recommendations include:
- Fruit, Vegetables, Wholegrain – wholegrain cereals and bread includes more nutrients like fibre, B vitamins, Vitamin E and healthy fats
- Consuming healthy fats – monounsaturated and polyunsaturated (omega-3 & 6) fats are the best fats by far to include. These are commonly found in Avocados, nuts, fish and sunflower seeds.
- Cut out Salt – Sodium increases risks of developing high blood pressure a major risk of heart disease. Use herbs and spices instead to add healthy natural flavorings to your meals.
2. An Active Lifestyle for an Active Heart
Since we’ve discussed the bad cholesterol in our system, let’s share some love for High-density lipoprotein (HDL) or the good cholesterol. HDL cholesterol absorbs cholesterol and carries it to our liver to be flushed. This reduces risk of heart attack and stroke substantially.
What can we do to further increase these levels?
HeartUK suggests being more active can help reduce their risk of Type 2 Diabetes and lower your blood pressure. They recommend at least 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity or at least 75 minutes of vigorous activity.
Certain activities or forms of exercise can be categorised as:
Moderate
- Dancing
- Biking slower than 10mph
- Brisk walking
- Water aerobics
Vigorous
- Running
- Cycling 10mph or faster
- Swimming laps
- Jumping Rope
3. End that toxic relationship with Smoking
Quitting smoking is like ending a toxic relationship, it isn’t always easy but it’s possible with the right support, planning and practice. The Heart Foundation states smoking damages your blood vessels substantially making you four times as vulnerable to a heart attack or stroke.
Speaking to your loved ones for advice on where to go or talking to support lines such as Quitline can also help you substantially. If smoking inside your home, car or other enclosed places, the detrimental effects can be passed onto your friends or family.
4. Identify Risks in your Health
If you feel you or any of our loved ones are at risk of Heart/Circulatory disease, a simple blood test is all it takes to generate a detailed picture of the health of your heart. But what if you don’t want the hassle of driving to and from a clinic to get one of these tests done? We’ve got you covered.
Randox Health believe in managing your health through testing, attack risks once detected to ultimately defend your future which is why we’ve introduced our Heart Health Home Testing Kits. This will test your HDL, LDL and Total Cholesterol levels as well as your Triglycerides.
With this, there’s no need to travel to a clinic and back. You can take your sample, send return using a supplied Royal Mail return label and receive a comprehensive report detailing these levels within the comfort of your own home.