Heart disease: Doctor explains how to reduce risk in 2021
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Cardiovascular disease refers to a range of conditions that affect the heart and blood vessels. Four of the main types are coronary heart disease, strokes, peripheral arterial disease and aortic disease. These are often associated with having too much fatty substances in the arteries that build-up and can cause blood clots.
Therefore, when it comes to keeping your heart and blood vessels healthy there are a number of conditions to try to avoid or keep under control.
These include having high cholesterol, diabetes and high blood pressure.
Being overweight, eating unhealthily, smoking and not exercising enough are also risk factors.
But something as simple as what we drink could also have a beneficial effect.
A recent analysis of various medical studies by the Tea Advisory Panel (TAP) found that the rich polyphenol content of tea really does a lot of good for your heart.
Speaking on behalf of TAP, dietitian Doctor Carrie Ruxton explained: “In a large review, which combined 13 cohort and cross-sectional analyses, 30 laboratory studies and 13 clinical trials, regular tea consumption was associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease.
“The laboratory and clinical trials supported the protective effects of tea and its bioactive compounds against heart issues.
“This is confirmed by a new study of more than 100,000 Chinese adults who were followed for seven years.
“Regular tea drinkers were 20 percent less likely to develop cardiovascular disease than those who didn’t drink tea.
“Habitual tea drinkers lived for 15 months extra on average and enjoyed an extra 17 months without any cardiovascular disease compared with non-drinkers of tea.”
The study she referenced was published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.
It concludes: “Tea consumption was associated with reduced risks of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality, especially among those consistent habitual tea drinkers.”
How does tea benefit heart health?
Another study, published in Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology, linked the ingredient of flavonoids in tea to heart health.
Doctor Gill Jenkins, an advisor to TAP, added: “Flavonoids – part of the polyphenol family – are natural compounds made by the tea plant as it grows.
“Researchers found that flavonoids improve the performance of blood vessels – called ‘endothelial function’ – in helping to control blood pressure. By this action, flavonoid-rich foods such as tea, fruit, and vegetables, can help to support cardiovascular health.
“Both black and green teas have similar heart health effects but differ in their actions.
“A study found that a flavonoid present in green tea, called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), not only acted as a powerful antioxidant, but helped blood vessels to relax and reduced stickiness of white blood cells – all factors which help to prevent cardiovascular disease.”
To look after your heart, the NHS recommends a balanced diet that includes:
- Low levels of saturated fat
- Low levels of salt – aim for less than six grams a day
- Low levels of sugar
- Plenty of fibre and wholegrain foods
- Plenty of fruit and vegetables.
Symptoms of cardiovascular disease include:
- Chest pain
- Pain, weakness or numb legs and/or arms
- Breathlessness
- Very fast or slow heartbeat, or palpitations
- Feeling dizzy, lightheaded or faint
- Fatigue
- Swollen limbs.
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