Heart health on World Heart Day

World Heart Day is a great opportunity to talk about healthy heart and raise awareness about cardiovascular disease, coronary artery disease, and associated heart disease risk factors. Created by the World Heart Federation, World Heart Day is a global campaign that raises awareness of cardiovascular disease (CVD) including heart disease and stroke. CVD is the leading cause of death worldwide, around 18.6 million lives each year. Talking about heart health raises awareness through education about risk factors such as unhealthy diet, physical inactivity and smoking.

World Heart Day for Heart Health

World Heart Day is on 29 September. It’s part of the World Heart Federation’s global campaign to educate people about the heart healthy lifestyle changes they can make to prevent and control CVD. By controlling known heart disease risk factors such as smoking, unhealthy diet and physical inactivity, millions of lives can be saved from premature death due to heart disease and stroke.

What does the heart do?

A person’s heart works like a muscular pump. It pumps blood all over a person’s body, through the circulatory system. Every cell in our bodies constantly need oxygen, which is carried by blood. The heart pumps blood rich in oxygen from lungs to heart to the whole body.

Cardiovascular disease and heart health

Cardiovascular disease is the umbrella term used for the group of diseases that impact the heart and blood vessels (veins and arteries). It is the major cause of death worldwide. Of these deaths, 85% are from coronary heart diseases (such as heart attack) and cerebrovascular diseases (such as stroke). Low and middle income countries are the most affected.

In Australia, CVD is responsible for 25% of all deaths each year. Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders die from CVD at a higher rate than non-indigenous Australians.

CVD is one of Australia’s largest health problems. It accounts for one in four of all deaths, claiming the life of one person every 12 minutes. 

What is a heart attack?

A heart attack is when a coronary (heart) artery becomes blocked. Coronary arteries supply blood to the heart. When blocked, blood can’t flow and the amount of oxygen getting to the heart muscle is reduced. This causes heart attack symptoms to occur, which include chest discomfort or pain which spreads to the arms, neck, jaw or back. This discomfort or pain can last longer than ten minutes.

Interrupted blood flow can cause damage to the heart. The longer the blockage remains untreated, the more damage from lost blood flow can occur.

Every day, on average 21 Australians experience a fatal heart attack. One person is admitted to hospital in Australia every nine minutes with a heart attack.

What causes a heart attack?

A heart attack can be caused by:

• coronary heart disease. This is the most common cause of a heart attack. A build-up of plaque occurs in a coronary artery, which supplies blood to the heart. The plaque (made from fat, cholesterol and other materials) causes the artery to narrow, which restricts the amount of blood flowing to the heart. If plaque breaks away from the artery wall, a clot can form, restricting or blocking blood flow.
• spasming and narrowing of the coronary artery, which reduces or stops blood flow to the heart.
• tearing of the coronary artery wall.

Warning signs of a heart attack

The most commonly experienced warning signs of a heart attack are:

• chest discomfort or pain. People can experience this as an uncomfortable pressure, ache, squeezing, numbness or feeling of fullness in their chest. The feeling can spread to the arms, neck, jaw or back. It can last for several minutes or come and go.
• feeling faint, dizzy or light-headed.
• nausea, indigestion or vomiting.
• difficulty breathing or shortness of breath (this can be with or without chest pain).
• sweating (or a cold sweat).  

A heart attack is a medical emergency. If you believe you or someone you are with is having a heart attack, call 000 immediately if you are in Australia – or the emergency number of the country you are in.

Heart disease risk factors

There is not a singular cause of heart disease, but a number of risk factors that can increase your chance of developing it. The more of these factors you have, the higher your risk of developing heart disease. It’s therefore important to know your personal risk factors, so you can make heart-healthy lifestyle changes that will lower your risk.

Let’s look at the main cardiovascular disease risk factors.

High blood pressure and Heart Health

High blood pressure causes damage to artery lining, which makes them more susceptible to the build-up of plaque.

High low-density lipoprotein cholesterol

Excessive amounts of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol can build-up in artery walls, which will limit blood flow to the heart (and other organs).

Diabetes and Heart Health

If a person has high blood sugar levels from diabetes, it can damage the blood vessels in the heart. It can also block blood vessels to the brain, which can cause a stroke. Around 2/3 of people with diabetes have high blood pressure. Diabetes can also increase LDL-cholesterol.

Smoking and Heart Health

Smoking damages the blood vessels to your heart (and other organs). According to the Heart Foundation, if you are a smoker, you are three times more likely to die of a heart attack and two times more likely to die of a stroke, than people who do not smoke. Quitting smoking is one of the best decisions you can make for your heart health.

Obesity and Heart Health

Obese people are at an increased risk of heart disease as it increases the build-up of fatty substance plaque in arteries; can increase blood pressure; indicate high LDL-cholesterol; and cause type 2 diabetes.

A heart healthy diet can reduce a person’s chances of getting heart disease. A healthy diet emphasizes fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy products and lean proteins, and limits saturated and trans fats, added sugars, and sodium.

Unhealthy diet and Heart Health

An unhealthy diet is a factor in heart disease control, because of the absence of healthy foods required for optimal heart-health. An unhealthy diet can lead to a build-up of plaque in arteries, diabetes, high blood pressure, and can indicate the presence of ‘bad’ cholesterol, trans fats and excess calories.

Physical inactivity

Physical inactivity can increase a person’s risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and osteoporosis. A good amount of physical activity can help a person to control heart disease risk factors, such as high blood pressure, obesity and high cholesterol.

Drink alcohol

Consuming excessive amounts of alcohol over time can increase a person’s heart rate and blood pressure. It can also weaken heart muscle and increase ‘bad’ fat levels (triglycerides) in blood.

Understand your own heart disease risk factors

It is important to understand your own personal risk of cardiovascular disease and your heart health. Make an appointment to see your qualified health professional for a heart health check, and talk about which risk factors may be relevant for you – and how you can reduce your risk factors.

Heart healthy lifestyle

Making time for physical activity in your life is one of the best things you can do for your heart health. Regular physical activity can include brisk walking, jogging, running or swimming.

If you are currently not doing any regular exercise, start with small goals and aim to do them consistently. Walking to the end of your street is a good start. Aim for around 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity five or more days each week. When you are starting, this can include housework, walking to the end of your street or gardening as well as structured exercise such as playing a team sport or taking a gym class.

If you aim to be physically active on most (or all) the days of the week, you will be regularly increasing your heart rate and improving your heart health. Doing some muscle-strengthening activities on at least two days each week is also ideal.

Heart healthy diet

Your diet can affect your heart health. A heart healthy diet can help to protect your heart, as well as improve blood pressure and cholesterol levels. It can also help to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. A heart healthy way of eating for life is all about sustainable, long-term choices, and includes fresh foods rich in vitamins and antioxidants. This includes:

• fruits and vegetables.
• whole grains.
• lean protein sources such as lean meats and fish.
• low fat dairy products.
• whole grains.
• legumes, such as beans.
• healthy fats, such as olive oil.

A heart healthy diet should avoid:

• foods with added sugar.
• foods with too much salt.
• unhealthy fats.
• too much alcohol.

If you do drink alcohol, the Heart Foundation recommends consuming no more than 10 standard drinks per week and no more than four standard drinks on any one day.

Keeping your heart healthy

If you have any concerns about your heart health, make an appointment to see your doctor for a heart health check. You can also talk through your own heart disease risk factors, and make a plan to reduce your risks and improve your healthy living.

Remember it’s important for your heart health to:

• quit smoking.
• live a heart healthy lifestyle, which includes moving your body with moderate physical activity on at least five days each week.
• eat a heart healthy diet.

If you are concerned about your heart health, find out more at docto.com.au and book a cardiologist consultation today!

BY SAMANTHA

SEPTEMBER 28, 2022

This blog is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Please consult a licensed healthcare provider for diagnosis and treatment.