Heart Disease Myths

Heart Disease Myths
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Myth No. 1: It is ok to have a high blood pressure in elderly.

Blood pressure tends to rise with age, but it does not mean that this rise is normal. It happens because with age, the arterial walls become stiff and this stiffness cannot be called as a normal stiffness. Stiff arteries make the heart to pump harder. Blood pounding against the artery walls, damages them over time. The overworked heart muscles become less effective and pumps even harder to meet the body demand for blood. This further damages the arteries and invites fats into the artery walls. This results in lipid deposition, formation of blockage and future heart attack and paralysis.

So the fact is, irrespective of age, keep your diastolic blood pressure below 80 and systolic below 120. Start treatment if the blood pressure is more than 140/90.

Myth No. 2: The risk of heart disease can be lowered with vitamins and supplements.

It’s a myth that vitamin C, E and β carotenes lower heart attack risk. The American Heart Association has stated that there is no scientific evidence that these supplements prevent or treat heart diseases. The fact is eat a wide variety of nutritious food which includes all 6 tastes and 7 colors and get natural vitamins and supplements.

Myth No. 3: Women do not suffer from heart disease.

The fact is whether you are a man or a woman, you are at risk, if you do not follow the lifestyle. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in women over age 65. Today more woman get heart disease than combine cancer in them.

Myth No. 4: Heart patients should not eat fat at all.

It is true that you should eat a diet low in saturated fat and zero in trans fats but other fats like unsaturated fats in vegetable oil are beneficial. In fact eating fish high in omega-3 fatty acids twice a week can lower the risk of heart disease.