According to the Robert Koch Institute, 40 percent of all deaths in Germany can be traced back to cardiovascular diseases [1]. Coronary heart disease, stroke and heart attack are the main causes of death for us. The reasons for cardiovascular diseases can be many. In addition to risk factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes mellitus and lipid metabolism disorders, lifestyle plays an important role. Because there are risk factors that we can influence ourselves. By exercising more, eating more healthily, paying attention to our cholesterol levels and avoiding being overweight as well as nicotine or too much alcohol – this is how heart disease can be prevented.
Heart disease from cholesterol
High cholesterol levels can lead to vascular disease, which in turn can lead to a heart attack or stroke. But these cardiovascular diseases due to cholesterol are avoidable, because the blood lipid levels can be influenced by the choice of our food. Because you can Lower cholesterol through diet by making sure that you eat foods that have a positive effect on cholesterol levels on a daily basis. A diet with is therefore recommended
- lots of vegetables and fruits
- Nuts
- a sufficient amount of calcium
- Whole grain products
- and unsaturated fatty acids.
Incidentally, the decisive factor is not whether and how much cholesterol foods contain, but how high the quality of the dietary fats is. It is important to keep the balance between the “good” HDL cholesterol and the “bad” LDL cholesterol. Paying attention to this can significantly reduce the risk of heart disease from cholesterol, stabilize blood pressure and activate the metabolism.
Use exercise to prevent cardiovascular diseases
Preventing heart disease is only possible with regular endurance sports and reducing excess weight – and with this thesis, many people say goodbye to a healthy lifestyle. Of course, it is true that regular endurance sport – preferably cycling, jogging or swimming for at least 30 minutes several times a week – significantly lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease. But even a minimum of physical activity, built into everyday life on a daily basis, can make a difference. Just eight minutes a day are enough, even for people who are significantly overweight, to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by a fifth [2]. By the way: If you don’t feel like exercising, you can also switch to sex. It’s good for the heart and at the same time relieves stress. It is only important – regardless of whether it is sport or sex – that you work up a sweat, muscles and heart get something to do. This stimulates the cardiovascular system and releases hormones. The first results can be seen after just a few weeks, including making the vessels more elastic again.
Stress increases the risk of cardiovascular disease
Sometimes patients complain of heart trouble or chest pain even though their heart is healthy. Doctors speak of functional heart problems that should nevertheless be taken seriously. Because behind the complaints there are often psychological factors. It is not without reason that the vernacular speaks of a broken heart or heartbreak when something causes a person a lot of grief. The psyche is a decisive risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. Because even if stress is part of life, too much of it can be harmful to health, raise blood pressure and thus increase the risk of suffering from cardiovascular disease. So plan your everyday life in such a way that there is enough space for moments of relaxation and do things that are good for you in these small breaks, such as:
- Reading or listening to music
- Meet with friends
- Practice conscious tension and relaxation (progressive muscle relaxation)
- Watch a fun movie
- Practice yoga
There is even a science that deals with the fact that the heart is the projection site of many mental conflicts: psychocardiology. Because stress, anxiety or depression have an impact on cardiovascular diseases and should be taken into account in diagnosis and treatment.
[1] Robert Koch Institute: Cardiovascular diseases (December 16, 2020).
[2] Federal Ministry of Education and Research: Sport lowers cardiovascular risk – even without losing weight (December 16, 2020).