EFE.- 80% of deaths derived from heart disease could be avoided with significant changes in the usual diet and lifestyle, according to several specialists agreed on Tuesday.
On the occasion of World Heart Day that is celebrated on Wednesday, several specialists highlighted the importance of raising awareness among the population about the risks of cardiovascular diseases and how to prevent them.
Heart attacks and strokes claim more than 17 million lives a year worldwide and this number is estimated to rise to 23.6 million by 2030, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are, according to the WHO, a group of disorders of the heart and blood vessels that cause coronary disease, cerebrovascular disease, systemic arterial hypertension, peripheral arterial disease, rheumatic heart disease and heart failure, among other heart diseases or strokes.
DIABETES AFFECTS THE HEART
Diseases such as diabetes can increase the risk of heart disease, so it is important that comorbidities are addressed, specialists warned.
“It must be taken into account that life expectancy is reduced by up to 20 years in patients with cardiovascular disease and diabetes if they have both pathologies,” explained Marco Alcocer, president of the Mexican Society of Cardiology.
The specialist recalled that in Mexico alone there are more than 10 million people diagnosed with diabetes, but there are also millions more who are at risk of developing the disease, so it is important to have check-ups from the age of 18 to prevent the appearance of the disease .
Cardiologist José Antonio Magaña specified that patients with diabetes can generally have a functional alteration in the heart after five years of diagnosis, for this reason he called for action to contain the damage that diabetes can cause in people “we have to change the paradigm in the approach to the disease ”, he pointed out in a press conference on the occasion of World Heart Day.
CHANGES IN FOOD
Diet and lifestyle changes are the first step in reducing your risk of heart disease.
For example, the daily consumption of a handful of almonds reduces the levels of the “bad cholesterol” (LDL) and the risk of occluded arteries, as well as the reduction of the blood pressure, which contributes to the good health of the heart.
Some studies, sponsored by the Almond Board of California, indicate that eating almonds as a snack improved endothelial function, which is a key indicator of vascular health.
Likewise, consuming almonds instead of a regular snack also lowered “bad” LDL cholesterol, while eating almonds instead of typical snacks or snacks can reduce the heart rate variability (HRV) that occurs during mental stress, which improves heart function.
This dietary strategy has the potential to increase cardiovascular resilience to mental stress, in addition to other heart health benefits of consuming almonds, such as lowering LDL cholesterol and improving blood vessel function.
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A study from Penn State University and published in The Journal of Nutrition shows that incorporating almonds as a snack in a diet to lower cholesterol can raise levels of HDL cholesterol, or good cholesterol, and improve the ability to eliminate harmful cholesterol from the body (LDL).
Studies on the effects of eating nutrient-rich almonds should be accompanied by regular exercise, a healthy and balanced diet containing lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, fatty fish, whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta, and 8-10 glasses of water a day.
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