Five Simple Steps To Prevent Coronary Heart Disease

5 simple steps to prevent coronary heart disease.

We are all aware that the incidence of heart disease is increasing in india. Generally the average age of heart patients in india is a decade younger, that means there are more younger patients suffering from heart disease in india.
How to prevent coronary heart disease in five simple and easy to follow steps. 

1. Physical exercise.
This is the most important step to prevent coronary heart disease. In today’s world we work mostly sitting on a desk. We need to get out and walk, jog, cycle or swim etc. In all we need 30 -45 min of aerobic exercise 3 -4 times a week. Not just heart disease aerobics exercise helps prevent a number of other diseases also. It is one of the only ways to prolong your life. If you are doing yoga or any weight training even then you need aerobic exercise.

2. Mind what you eat. 
We need to be mindful of what food we put inside our body. A healthy diet is one of the key pillars of good health. Your diet should have good quality protein, you can have moderate amount of fats but should avoid all refined sugars. Sugar has been shown to be the real culprit so better avoid it even if you are not a diabetic. Excess sugar is worse than fat. Take good amount of fibre, fresh seasonal fruits. Don’t fall into any trap which says eat dates or garlic to reduce cholesterol etc. These may have benefits but that doesn’t mean you can eat whatever you like without consequences.

3. Stop smoking 
You should immediately stop smoking both active and passive. Smoking is known to be a very harmful habit. It increases chances for getting a number of diseases including heart disease, lung cancer, bladder cancer etc. In western societies the incidence of smoking is coming down, in india we need to spread more awareness.

4. Route blood pressure check. 
High blood pressure is a very common issue which goes unrecognised and is very harmful to the body. All the organs in the body are exposed to its bad effects. Heart, kidneys, brain, eyes are the organs most commonly effected organs by this problem. High blood pressure can be easily recognised and can save a lot of lives. Once diagnosed with high b. P one needs to be on regular medication. You should never skip or discontinue medication as it can cause rebound hypertension that is very high b. P, which can cause bleeding in the brain.

5. Routine annual blood checkup 
We need to undergo routine annual blood check after the age of 40 years, this age needs to be lowered to 35 if there is some family history of heart disease. Everyone needs to get their blood sugar parameters checked, cholesterol levels checked. At the time of checkup the doctor may include other tests like vit d3 levels or b12 & folate levels in case vegetarians etc.

In the end we should remember that we have just one body in this life so better take care of it or regret later. As age advances we all become more prone to diseases so a little care goes a long way.