What measures can be taken to prevent heart disease?

The core logic of heart disease prevention is very simple, which is to control existing risk factors while reducing the daily additional burden on the heart. The vast majority of cardiovascular accidents can be avoided through active intervention.

It sounds abstract. Last week I came across a typical example at a community free clinic: 42-year-old Mr. Zhang had been diagnosed with hyperlipidemia for three years, but he never took it seriously. He couldn’t live without braised pork belly every meal, and it was normal to stay up late watching football. His blood pressure had reached 150/95 that day. He waved his hand and said he didn’t feel uncomfortable and didn’t need to take medicine. In fact, his situation is already on the threshold of coronary heart disease. If he delays for another two or three years, the probability of sudden myocardial infarction is more than three times higher than that of ordinary people.

The first thing to do is to firmly control the basic diseases that have emerged. The "silent killers" of high blood pressure, hyperlipidemia, and high blood sugar are really not alarmist. You can think of blood vessels as the water pipes at home. If the water pressure is too high for a long time and there are too many impurities in the water, the pipe walls will slowly scale, harden and narrow. The heart has to work several times more than usual to pump blood. Over time, either the blood vessels will become blocked and cause myocardial infarction, or the heart will be overloaded for a long time and cause heart failure. When it comes to risk factor control, there is a controversial point that everyone asks a lot about. There are actually disagreements in the industry about whether to take aspirin for daily prevention. If you have had a myocardial infarction or missed a stent and are a clear high-risk group for cardiovascular disease, you must follow the doctor's advice and take it for a long time. ； However, if ordinary people only have a little bit of high blood lipids and no other clear risks, taking aspirin by themselves may increase the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding. You must see a doctor for evaluation before making a decision. Don't buy it blindly.

In addition to these clear pathological risks, daily lifestyle adjustments are more likely to be ignored by everyone. There is no need to go too extreme. Boiling vegetables and running ten kilometers all of a sudden can cause accidents. A while ago, a 30-year-old man who never moved usually suddenly ran ten kilometers a day in order to lose weight. As a result, he went to the emergency room with viral myocarditis. Just take out half an hour every day and do some exercise that can make you breath slightly but still speak normally, such as brisk walking, aerobics, or riding a bicycle. Gradual progress and persistence are more effective than any sudden fitness. There is no need to completely insulate yourself from milk tea hot pot in terms of food. As long as you replace half of the polished rice and white flour with whole grains such as corn and oats, eat one pound of fresh vegetables and half a pound of fruits every day, eat deep-sea fish two or three times a week, and avoid anything heavy in salt and oil, it will be enough to reduce the burden on the blood vessels.

Another point that many people don’t take seriously is the impact of tobacco, alcohol, and emotional routine. Don’t believe in the folk saying that “drinking a small amount of alcohol can activate blood circulation”. There are now clear studies confirming that even just one sip of alcohol will put extra burden on blood vessels and heart. ； Not to mention smoking, which not only damages your own blood vessel endothelium, but second-hand smoke will also increase the cardiovascular risk of the elderly and children at home. I had a 60-year-old patient before who had very stable blood pressure control. But because of a quarrel with his family, he got too excited and his blood vessels contracted sharply. He had a myocardial infarction and was sent to the emergency room. To put it bluntly, when people are emotional and stay up late for a long time, The sympathetic nerves are always in a state of excitement, and the blood vessels contract and spasm at every turn. The originally narrow blood vessels can easily become completely blocked. Usually, you should avoid getting angry over trivial matters and staying up less late at night. Reducing the pressure on the heart is more effective than any heart-protecting supplement.

In fact, there is really no need to think about the prevention of heart disease in such a complicated way. Check your blood pressure, blood lipids, and blood sugar during physical examinations every year. If you have any problems, consult a doctor promptly. If you do these little things well, most heart diseases can actually be prevented.