“Protect Your Heart: Tips for Maintaining Cardiovascular Health and Longevity”

Cardiovascular disease ranks first among the top ten causes of death worldwide. It can be said that people with good cardiovascular system may be more likely to live longer. How to protect our blood vessels? Physicians pointed out that some behaviors will damage our blood vessels and should be avoided as much as possible; while some behaviors are beneficial to our blood vessels, the more the better.

The secret of Hong Kong people living longer than Japanese

Japan is considered a country of longevity, however, this record has now been broken. Hong Kong people have surpassed Japan as the longest-lived population since 2013. In 2021, the average life expectancy of Hong Kong men is 83 years and that of women is 88 years [1]; while the Japanese figures were 82 and 87.57.[2]

A study published in the well-known medical journal “The Lancet” in 2021 pointed out that one of the reasons for the longevity of Hong Kong people is the lower mortality rate from cardiovascular diseases.In addition, Hong Kong is also one of the regions with the lowest smoking rate in the world. Among them, Hong Kong women have the lowest death rate caused by cancer [3]。

4 Behavioral damage to cardiovascular smoking and less movement are included

Cardiovascular disease is also called “circulatory system disease”. The so-called circulatory system refers to the organs and tissues that transport blood in the human body, mainly including the heart and blood vessels (including arteries, veins, and capillaries). To put it simply, any disease that affects the cardiovascular system can be called cardiovascular disease, resulting in heart, brain and peripheral vascular disease, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, stroke, myocardial infarction, etc.

Many bad behaviors and habits may harm the cardiovascular system and thus affect longevity. The following are 4 prominent aspects:

smokes:Smoking can easily cause damage to the inner wall of blood vessels, causing blood vessel blockage and the risk of blood clots.

Eat too much oil:Eating too much oil can easily cause the accumulation of oil on the inner wall of blood vessels.

Eating too salty:Eating too much salt will cause blood pressure to rise, and then cause vascular lesions.

Exercise less:People who exercise too little are prone to obesity, unable to metabolize bad cholesterol, and then cause vascular lesions.

second handSmoke alsois the enemy of cardiovascular

Not only smoking directly, but also inhaling second-hand smoke is very dangerous.

After the cigarette is lit, it will release a large amount of chemical substances, which will cause damage to the blood vessel wall. After that, the oil in the human blood will accumulate on the injured blood vessel wall, causing the inner diameter of the blood vessel to narrow over time.

Moreover, these substances can also cause blood viscosity to increase, which can easily cause thrombus. Once the blood vessels supplying the heart or brain are blocked, it may also cause local neurological loss, causing myocardial infarction or stroke.

Studies have found that smoking increases the risk of heart disease by more than 2 times, and women who smoke will further increase their risk of heart disease by ¼ compared with men.

Cardiovascular longevity must do 4 things

There are many simple, doable cardiovascular health tips to live a long and healthy life.

1. Quit smoking

In 1997, a research report published by the American Heart Association showed that 30% of angina diseases were caused by smoking. death; and smoking cessation can halve the recurrence rate of myocardial infarction.

2. Eat a healthy diet

A cardiovascular health routine usually starts with diet. Our blood vessels are actually like the water pipes in the building, responsible for transporting nutrients and blood to the whole body. Therefore, reduce the intake of high oil and high sugar, reduce cholesterol, and increase the intake of dietary fiber.

Recommend 2 diets that are good for cardiovascular health:

● Mediterranean diet prevents heart disease

The Mediterranean diet places particular emphasis on eating vegetables, fruits and olive oil, which should be taken in large quantities, and combined with fish and nuts, you can get a healthy diet. Also reducing your intake of red meat (including beef and pork) and avoiding processed foods can help reduce heart disease and also help reduce your risk of cancer.

● Deshu diet to prevent high blood pressure

The most important thing about the DASH diet is to limit your sodium intake. Because the increase of sodium ions will cause the osmotic pressure in the blood to increase, causing the body to retain water, so the pressure on the blood vessel wall will increase, and finally cause the blood pressure to rise.

The DASH diet emphasizes that hypertensive patients should eat more high-potassium, high-magnesium, and high-calcium foods. Potassium can antagonize sodium ions and help control blood pressure; magnesium ions can promote enzyme function and help insulin work; calcium ions can stabilize nerves and muscles, and increase bone strength.

In addition, it is also recommended to take more dietary fiber and unsaturated fatty acids to improve the health index of blood vessels.

3. Good exercise habits

A 1995 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association followed more than 9,000 people for five years, showing that people who have exercise habits and maintain physical fitness will live longer. If people who have no exercise habits start exercising again, they can reduce the mortality rate by more than 40%.

However, there are many ways to exercise, and you must adopt the correct exercise habits that suit you. Especially in summer, you should properly replenish water and cool down in time to avoid sports injuries.

4. Guaranteed sleep

Studies have shown that the risk of myocardial infarction increases by more than 60% for people with insomnia. Insomnia may also cause blood pressure, blood sugar, and even weight increases, as well as hormonal imbalances, which will cause harm to heart disease. In addition, insomnia may also cause sympathetic nerve excitement and systemic inflammation, resulting in vascular disease.

This article is compiled from Health 1+1, please see the full video below:

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Editor in charge: Li Fan◇