5 Signs of an Unhealthy Heart

The heart is a muscular organ that helps to pump blood through the circulatory system by periodic contractions and relaxations. The heart is one of the most important organs of the body so much so that a single cardiac arrest or a heart attack can lead to fatal consequences. Even so, a heart attack is one of the most leading causes of death in the country. But there are some earlier symptoms that could alert you ahead of time. The following are signs of an unhealthy heart:

1. Sexual problems

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is one of the most predictable reasons for cardiovascular conditions. Today, patients who are diagnosed with ED are also considered as cardiovascular patients. This is because the heart is supposedly not able to pump enough blood to the genital area. In case of women, reduced blood flow can hamper arousal and delay orgasms.

2. Snoring and sleep apnea

If one snores loudly enough to prevent their partner's from sleeping or resort to using earplugs, one may be at a risk of having a weak heart. Restricted breathing during sleep is connected with a host of cardiovascular diseases. Sleep apnea, a condition where breathing stops for a brief span of time, is linked with higher cardiovascular risks.

3. Swollen, sore and bleeding gums

Swollen and bleeding gums are not only symptoms of dental conditions but also of cardiovascular difficulties. Medical experts believe poor circulation of blood arises due to underlying heart conditions. Recent studies are focusing on bacteria that are believed to cause gum disease as well as plaque inside the arteries of the heart.

4. Heart Arrhythmia

Irregular heartbeat or heart arrhythmia is a common sign of a weak heart. It is characterized by both fast and slow beating of the heart. Restricted blood flow to the heart strains the electrical signals that maintain the normal beating of the heart. This is one of the common causes of coronary artery diseases.

5. Chest pain

One of the most apparent signs of coronary artery diseases is chest pain. The cause of the sharp, clutching pain in your chest can be build-up of plaque in the arteries, which could lead to fatal consequences.



5 Signs of an Unhealthy Heart

If you are concerned about your heart s health, it is important for you to make some dietary modifications. Simple changes in your everyday diet may offer benefits, which help in preventing future heart problems. If you suffer from high blood pressure or high cholesterol or have atrial fibrillation.

Here are some tips regarding the best diet for protecting your heart:

Believe in the food hype: Having healthy meals is certainly beneficial and makes a big difference to your heart health. Consuming meals which contain vegetables, grains, low fat dairy and lean meat will allow you to live a longer and healthier life.
Avoid crash diets: A crash diet may be effective, if you want to fit in a dress within one month. However, for improving your heart health, undertaking different fad diets is not useful. Meals in which a certain type of nutrients such as carbohydrates or fats are ruled out are not beneficial as well. You should have a sensible approach towards your diet and focus on food products such as vegetables, whole grains and lean meat.
Do not overeat: Overeating will lead to weight gain and commonly, many people get heart attack after taking a big meal.
Eat less salt: You should consume less amount of salt in your diet and do not eat more than one teaspoon of salt a day. Avoid any food item which contains high amounts of sodium. Salt is responsible for increasing blood pressure.
Limit your intake of alcohol and caffeine: In case you suffer from atrial fibrillation, you should avoid caffeine and any other stimulant as they tend to trigger the symptoms. You must drink moderately as consuming more than one drink a day increases your risks of having heart problems.
Choose meat wisely: You should avoid red meat, which contains large amount of saturated fats as these are not good for the heart. You should choose the leanest cuts of meats and trim all fat from it. You should opt for cuts such as flank, rump roast, tenderloin and sirloin. Pork tenderloin, chicken and turkey breast are other alternatives.
Add fish to your diet: Fish is essential for improving your heart health. Try to avoid having deep fried fish and choose grilled fish or roasted fish, which are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids. Consume fishes like tuna, salmon, trout and sardines.
You should also add whole grains to your diet. They are effective in controlling blood sugar and lower the chances of diabetes. Hence, the risks of heart diseases are less if you do not have diabetes. Whole grains also help with weight loss, which is beneficial for the heart.

7 Tips for a Healthy Heart

Some foods punch well above their weight in helping to reduce cholesterol levels, we call them'cholesterol busters. Choosing a healthy diet, low in saturated fat is important in helping to keep your cholesterol low but you can reduce your cholesterol levels further by including these super six foods in your everyday diet.

Super food 1 - soya foods
Being naturally low in saturated fat, soya foods help lower cholesterol. The special proteins in soya also appear to influence how the body regulates cholesterol too. Studies show you can lower your cholesterol by around 6% by including as little as 15g soya protein per day.

Choose from: soya alternatives to milk and yogurt, soya desserts, soya meat alternatives, soya nuts, edamame beans and tofu.

Super food 2 - nuts
All nuts are rich in vegetable protein, fibre, heart healthy unsaturated fats, vitamin e, magnesium, potassium, natural plant sterols and a host of beneficial plant nutrients. 30-35g a day of nuts (a handful) has the potential to lower cholesterol by an average of 5%.

Super food 3 - oats and barley
Both oats and barley are rich in a form of soluble fibre called beta glucan. Once eaten beta glucan forms a gel which helps bind cholesterol in the intestines and prevent it from being absorbed. It is recommended that we eat about 3g of beta glucan per day. Foods which contain 1g or more of beta glucan can carry a cholesterol lowering claim.

Super food 4 -foods fortified with plant sterols and stanols
Plant sterols are structurally similar to cholesterol and can be divided into sterols and stanols. Their cholesterol lowering effects have been known for some time.

Plant sterols/stanols are naturally found in a wide range of foods such as vegetable oils, nuts, seeds, whole grains, fruits and vegetables. However, for most people, it is not possible to achieve the optimum intake from ordinary foods.

Super food 5 - fruits and vegetables
All fruits and vegetables are low in saturated fat so eating more helps to keep saturated fat intake low. Fruit and vegetables are also a valuable source of cholesterol lowering soluble fibres. Try to include at least one pulse (beans, peas, lentils) everyday. Other rich sources of soluble fibre include sweet potato, aubergene, okra (ladies finger), broccoli, apples, strawberry and prunes.

Super food 6 - foods rich in unsaturated fats
Keeping our daily saturated fat intake below 20g (women) and 30g (men) is vital for cholesterol lowering, but it is equally important to replace this saturated fat with modest amounts of unsaturated fats such as those found in olive, sunflower, corn, rapeseed and other vegetable, nut and seed oils. Other foods rich in unsaturated fats include vegetable spreads, avocado, oily fish and nuts. Avoid coconut and palm oil as, unlike other these vegetable oils, they are rich in saturated fats.

6 Super Foods That Actively Help Lower Cholesterol

Heart Care Tips For a Heart Patient

A heart patient has to always live with caution. This World Heart Day, let us understand what it takes to keep our heart in good health. In fact, by following certain rules, one can lead a smooth life despite being a heart patient.
The major risk factors of heart diseases are smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes, physical inactivity, obesity, and high cholesterol. In addition to these, there are factors which add to the heart condition. They are stress, alcohol, sleep apnea and C - reactive protein.

Food and exercise play a major role in the well-being of a heart patient. It is important to engage in exercises as prescribed by your heart specialist. Follow these dos and don’ts with respect to food.

Say YES To:

1. Poultry and fish for the requirement Omega 3 and Protein
2. Raw nuts, flax seeds, avocados, olive oil, fish oils etc which make up the body's need of healthy fats.
3. Fruits and vegetables for the body's nutrient needs.
4. Whole grains and legumes which provide energy and fiber to the body.
5. Protein and calcium which come from unsweetened yoghurt, egg whites, low-fat/non-fat cheese and skimmed or double toned milk.

Say NO To:

1. Fried foods, cakes and pastries, since they have trans-fats or other harmful fats.
2. Foods high in sodium and sugar, especially packaged goods.
3. Rice, pasta, white breads, sugary foods.
4. Sausage, bacon and red meat.
5. Full cream milk, whole milk cheese and sweetened yoghurt.

If you would like to consult with me privately, please click on 'Consult'.

 Heart Care In Your Hands: World Heart Day Special Tips

Apart from its use in many Indian homes for traditional reasons, coconut has several health benefits to offer -

1) Helps diabetics by slowing sugar release into the bloodstream.
2) Boosts metabolism and increases energy because it is more likely to be burned as fuel than stored as body fat.
3) Helps treat malnutrition because it is easy to digest and absorb.
4) Kills disease-causing bacteria, fungi, yeasts and viruses because of the antimicrobial effects of its fatty acids.
5) Prevents strokes and brain disorders such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.
6) Prevent tooth decay - coconut oil fights bacteria responsible for tooth decay and could be a healthy, non-chemical additive in toothpaste and mouthwash.

Click on consult privately to ask me any follow-up questions on this.

From Lybrate: If you found this tip useful, please thank the doctor by clicking on the heart icon below. Also, spread good health by sharing this tip with your loved ones.

Why is Coconut SO good for you?

The heart is a muscular organ that pumps blood to the entire body through a network of arteries and veins. This network contains big vessels which branch out further to supply blood to the distant organs. There is, therefore, some pressure that the heart and thereby the vessels need to exert to push the blood through these vessels. This is known as blood pressure, and normal pressure levels range from 90-140(systolic)/60-90(diastolic) mm of Hg. However, due to various reasons, this pressure could be more, which is one of the first signs of heart disease. 

Causes of increased blood pressure: 

Thickening of the blood vessels. With age, the elastic blood vessels naturally turn rigid and less elastic, so there is more pressure required to push blood. It is natural for people over 55 years of age to have higher readings of blood pressure. This is known as primary hypertension (HTN) 
Narrowed blood vessels. This happens due to cholesterol accumulation along the walls of the blood vessels. Faulty dietary habits along with sedentary lifestyle have increased the incidence of hypertension due to this condition, known as atherosclerosis. Critical atherosclerotic narrowing of renal arteries lead to renovascular HTN that is one of the commonest of secondary HTN. 
Other Causes of secondary hypertension are: 

Kidney problems 
Thyroid hormone disorders 
Congenital heart defects 
Chronic alcohol abuse 
Adrenal gland tumours 
Chronic use of medications like birth control pills, pain killers, etc. 
Unidentified and uncontrolled hypertension can be silent and can lead to more severe conditions like heart attack and stroke. India is fast becoming the new hypertension capital of the world. Some of the common risk factors are: 

Age 
Family history 
Being obese or overweight 
Sedentary lifestyle 
Smoking 
Alcohol consumption 
Excessive salt intake 
Stress levels 
Ethnic background 
Symptoms: 

Hypertension can go undetected for years together, but if there are risk factors like diabetes and high cholesterol, it is advisable to periodically monitor blood pressure. 
Headaches, nosebleeds, and shortness of breath should not be ignored. These can be the first warning signs of hypertension, and if detected early, preventive measures can be taken. 
If there are co-morbid risk factors, it is advisable to constantly keep a check on BP readings. 
Management: 

This includes a combination of diet and lifestyle modifications. 

Quit smoking and alcohol: Of the many wonders quitting smoking can do, reducing BP readings is just one. The improvement would be almost instantaneous. Quit or else reduce alcohol and see dramatic improvements. 
Weight management: Through a combination of diet and exercise, ensure that weight is brought under control. Set a target BMI (Below 26 kg/m2) and work towards it religiously. 
Diet: Reduce salt, increase potassium, increase vitamin D, eat a heart-healthy diet, and see the hypertension readings improve. Please find attached and reviewed copy for health tip for posting

High Blood Pressure - All You Need To Know About It!

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