Can your diet stop heart disease in its tracks? Experts say “YES”
12/05/2019 / By Rose Lidell / Comments
Can your diet stop heart disease in its tracks? Experts say “YES”

Regardless of your age, it’s important to take care of your health. After all, eating well, exercising regularly and avoiding bad habits like drinking and smoking in your 20s can help lower your risk of diseases as you age. While chronic diseases like coronary heart disease, the leading cause of death among older adults, is common, it is not unavoidable. Having good lifestyle habits is key to preventing this condition. According to studies, the earlier you start making healthy dietary changes and paying attention to nutrition, the healthier (and safer) your heart would be.

Heart disease and diet: the connection

Coronary heart disease occurs when the blood and oxygen supply to the heart is not enough. This is often caused by plaque blocking the arteries and interrupting blood flow. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Preventionmore than 370,000 deaths in the U.S. are due to coronary heart disease. That number should be enough to make people take measures to avoid it. Fortunately, switching to a heart-healthy diet can reduce the risk of coronary heart disease later in life.

A heart-healthy diet should consist of complex carbohydrates from whole grains, fruits and vegetables. Antioxidants and non-hydrogenated unsaturated fats are also equally important. While many types of fat can be found in food, unsaturated fats like omega-3 fatty acids are the best type of fats for the heart as these help improve cholesterol levels, reduce inflammation and regulate heartbeat.

Omega-3 fatty acids can be obtained from plant-based foods such as plant oils, nuts and seeds. Antioxidants are also abundantly present in many fruits and vegetable, and these compounds have the ability to reduce damage caused by free radicals.

Having high levels of free radicals in the body increases a person’s risk of coronary heart disease. This is due to the fact that these highly reactive molecules can damage cells and interfere with signaling pathways associated with heartbeat regulation. Free radicals can also meddle with processes involved in myocardium remodeling and result in life-threatening consequences such as endothelial dysfunction.

Heart disease is preventable with a balanced diet and proper nutrition

In a study published in the Annals of Agricultural and Environmental Medicine, researchers looked at how antioxidant and fat intake affects the health of older adults. The research was a collaboration between the Jagiellonian University Medical College and the Cracow Higher School of Health Promotion in Poland.

The researchers assessed the dietary intake of antioxidants and fats of 143 elderly participants aged 65 to 80. They used food frequency questionnaires to determine the level of antioxidants and the amount of fat in their diet.

The survey classified foods into nine major food groups — fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices, grains and cereal-based products, seafood, mixed dishes, oil and dips, sweets and beverages. Based on the data gathered from the survey, the researchers found that most of the participants did not eat enough antioxidant-rich foods. As a result, their risk of dying due to cardiovascular disease was high.

Upon assessing the participants’ fat consumption, the researchers found that a majority of the elderly exceeded their recommended intake of unhealthy saturated fats. Meanwhile, their consumption of unsaturated fatty acids was less than the recommended amount. Most of the fats in the participants’ diets came from animal fats and cakes and not from healthier sources like fish and nuts. This also contributed to their increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

The researchers concluded that nutrition should be an important consideration among the elderly. In particular, they put emphasis on the enrichment of the diets of older adults in natural antioxidants and the normalization of their fats consumption as these are crucial elements for the prevention of heart-related diseases.

Sources:

Science.news

MedicalNewsToday.com

CDC.gov

HSPH.Harvard.edu

LiveScience.com

AAEM.pl

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