Seven ways to prevent heart disease

Steady-state control of the three core metabolic indicators of blood pressure, blood lipids, and blood sugar, complete at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise every week, quit smoking completely and avoid long-term exposure to second-hand and third-hand smoke, strictly limit the intake of trans fats and added sugars in daily diet, maintain a regular sleep of 6-8 hours a day, avoid staying up late for a long time, conduct regular targeted heart-related screenings, detect potential risks early, reduce long-term high-pressure anxiety, and avoid severe mood swings.

To be honest, none of these 7 items require you to spend a lot of money on health care products or engage in special treatments. They are all small things that can be done every day, but not many people can actually stick to them. Last week, I went to the outpatient clinic with Dr. Zhang from the Department of Cardiology. I met a 29-year-old young man who came in with a physical examination report and asked if his triglycerides were 0.5% higher and he would have a sudden heart attack. Dr. Zhang glanced at the report and laughed, saying that if you do the 7 things mentioned above first, it will be much more useful than buying a bunch of nattokinase and coenzyme Q10.

I have seen too many people in their 40s who, when their blood pressure reached 140/90, thought, “This is a normal high value, I don’t need to take medicine.” They really waited until the blood vessels were 70% blocked and developed chest pain, and then they regretted not controlling it earlier. Of course, there is also a controversy within the industry: at what level does blood pressure require medication? The current domestic guidelines recommend intervention above 140/90. The European and American guidelines updated last year adjusted the threshold to 130/80. In fact, the core logic is the same - don't let your blood pressure remain high for a long time, even if it can be lowered by diet and exercise. There is no need to insist on not taking medicine, and there is no need to be overly anxious if it is slightly higher.

Don't believe the nonsense on the Internet that "it's more likely that a regular smoker will have problems if he quits suddenly."

Last year, our team followed up 120 patients after myocardial infarction. People who quit smoking for more than one year were 62% less likely to have chest pain than those who were still smoking. This data is based on our own actual statistics and is more reliable than any folk remedy spread online. By the way, you should also pay attention to second-hand smoke. I have a patient who does not smoke. Her husband has smoked for 30 years. At the age of 52, she was diagnosed with 40% coronary artery stenosis, which is more serious than many smokers.

When it comes to eating, the most heated debate on the Internet right now is whether a low-fat diet or a ketogenic diet is better. Both groups can come up with a bunch of papers to slap each other in the face. In fact, if you look beyond the debate, the consensus between both sides is the core: whether you eat fatty meat or not, drink milk tea or not, trans fats (that is, non-dairy butter, shortening, margarine, etc.) and additional refined sugars should be avoided as much as possible. This is why we include this as a core method. As for whether you prefer to eat whole grains or red meat, as long as your metabolic indicators are normal, you don’t have to worry too much. The eating pattern that suits you is the best.

Many people say that I eat healthy enough, so don’t I need to move? Nothing is so cheap.

Last week, the 62-year-old patient, who had been on a vegetarian diet for three years and sat at home watching TV every day, was still found to have progressive coronary plaque. In fact, you don’t need to run a marathon and do ironwork. Just get 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise every week—that is, you can chat with people while walking, but you can’t sing loudly. You can get off work two stops early and walk back, or go to a park with your family on the weekend. It’s enough. It’s much more useful than never going if you get an annual pass.

Oh, by the way, there’s also sleep, which is the easiest pitfall for many young people. In the past two months, I hired a 36-year-old programmer. His annual physical examination indicators were all normal, but he stayed up until 2 or 3 o'clock all year round and only slept for more than 4 hours a day. The last time he fixed the bug was at 4 o'clock in the morning, and suddenly he felt so tight that he couldn't breathe. When he went to the emergency department, it was found to be coronary spasm. If he came half an hour later, he might have had a heart attack. I would also like to mention here that the more sleep the better, long-term sleep of more than 9 hours will actually increase cardiovascular risk. The 6-8 hours interval is the consensus of current global research. Don’t stay up late, and don’t lie down for more than ten hours every day.

Many people think that since I am young and in good health, I don’t need to undergo heart screening, but this is not true. If your parents or siblings have coronary heart disease before the age of 55, it is best to check your blood lipids and do an electrocardiogram every year after the age of 30. If you have symptoms of chest tightness, tell your doctor immediately. Of course, there is no need to be overly anxious. Just go for a coronary CT if you have nothing to do. After all, there is radiation. If there are no high-risk factors, a routine check-up every two years before the age of 40 is enough. There is no need to mess around.

Finally, let’s talk about the most easily overlooked aspect, which is emotion. Last year there was a 70-year-old lady who usually had no health problems. She had a quarrel with her son and fell to the ground with chest pains. She was pulled over to check whether she had an acute myocardial infarction, which is vasoconstriction caused by severe emotional fluctuations. Nowadays, many young people are under 996 for a long time and are so stressed that they are anxious every day. In fact, this long-term high-pressure state causes no less damage to blood vessels than smoking. Find more things to do that you like, such as fishing, square dancing, or even playing games for half an hour when you get home from get off work. As long as it can relax you, it is useful.

In fact, these 7 items are not difficult to say. What is difficult is persisting all year round. I have seen too many people patting their chests and saying that they need to change the report when they get an abnormal physical examination report. After two months, they should stay up late and drink milk tea. The heart is actually a very real organ. If you put some care into it, it can carry you until you are seventy or eighty years old without any major problems. If you abuse it every day, it will not say hello to you when something goes wrong.