 It is important to have a healthy heart, because heart problems are the leading cause of death, and one of the main causes of heart attack and heart failure.
When we speak about the heart, we mean not just the heart itself but also all of the coronary arteries.
A healthy heart and arteries, also referred to as Cardiovascular Health (cardio = heart, vascular = blood vessels), means the proper functioning of the heart, and good condition of the arteries.
One of the factors that affect the heart is atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), very common in our environment.
The hardening of the arteries caused by accumulation of fatty plaques and calcium in the walls of the arteries, in blood contact.
These plaques (atheroma, and consequently atherosclerosis) of thicken the arteries and they lose their elasticity. This means that the heart is no longer healthy.
The Risk Factors associated with atherosclerosis are:
- High CholesterolHigh
- High triglycerides
- Smoking
- Diabetes
- High blood pressure
- Physical inactivity
- Obesity
There are many more factors but these are the main ones. The hardening or narrowing of the arteries leads to a lack of circulation and oxygen to organs like the heart, brain or extremities, especially during physical effort.
Atherosclerosis and the factors associated with it, are increasingly evident at younger ages, so, after 40 it is advisable to have a medical check, sometimes earlier. Early detection of these conditions, delays disease and death due to heart problems.
Based on the above, there are some ways of defining cardiovascular health.
We could say that having a healthy heart means:
- No smoking
- Being the right weight
- Have a minimum level of fitness (heart), measured in an exercise test
- Following a healthy diet
- An adequate level of cholesterol and glucose
- Having an adequate blood pressure.
So in practice, the way to know if we have a healthy heart is to do a medical examination including blood tests, an interview and physical examination including weight control and blood pressure, and a stress test determine the fitness level of the the heart.
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