The heart is one of the most important organs in the human body. It beats continuously throughout a person's life, and when the heart stops beating, it signifies the end of life.
How can we make the heart live longer? This is a question that people generally care about. Currently, the medical community believes that the main factors affecting the "longevity" of the heart are hyperlipidemia, hypertension, and smoking, and this view has been confirmed by experimental research.
Blood lipids are the general term for lipids in plasma, mainly including cholesterol, cholesterol esters, triglycerides, phospholipids, and non-esterified fatty acids. Hyperlipidemia refers to an increase in lipid content in plasma. In clinical practice, cholesterol and triglycerides are measured to determine the level of blood lipids. Elevated blood lipids can cause atherosclerosis of arterial walls. When atherosclerosis occurs in the coronary arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle, it is called coronary artery atherosclerotic heart disease, or coronary heart disease for short.
Long-term high blood pressure can promote the deposition of lipids in the middle and large arteries, leading to atherosclerosis. Therefore, hypertension often coexists with coronary heart disease. Furthermore, sustained high blood pressure increases the burden on the left ventricle, gradually causing left ventricular hypertrophy and dilation, forming hypertensive heart disease.
Smoking can affect the respiratory system, nervous system, digestive system, and cardiovascular system, especially the impact on the heart should not be ignored. Carbon monoxide produced by smoking can increase the deposition of lipoproteins on arterial walls. Carbon monoxide combines with hemoglobin in the blood to form carboxyhemoglobin, affecting the delivery of oxygen. Heavy smoking can lead to increased levels of cholesterol in the blood. In addition, nicotine in cigarettes can cause peripheral blood vessel constriction, leading to high blood pressure, further elevating blood pressure or increasing heart rate, and exacerbating damage to arterial walls.
In order to make the heart "live longer", first of all, attention should be paid to controlling the composition and quantity of diet. If the calorie intake from the diet exceeds the body's needs for a long time, it is easy to develop hyperlipidemia and obesity. Under normal circumstances, an adult's weight (in kilograms) should be approximately equal to the difference between their height (in centimeters) and 105, that is, standard weight (in kilograms) = height (in centimeters) - 105. Being overweight is defined as exceeding 10% of the standard weight, and obesity is defined as exceeding 20% of the standard weight. To prevent excessive body weight, it is recommended to choose a light and low-salt diet, with various coarse grains in the staple food, and eat more vegetables, fruits, and soy products rich in vitamins, while avoiding excessive consumption of animal fats and sweets. It is also important to actively participate in various forms of exercise, such as practicing Tai Chi, Qigong, swimming, and jogging. Regular participation in physically demanding work and household chores is also beneficial.
Hypertensive patients should pay attention to the combination of work and rest in their studies and work, avoid continuous and intense mental labor for a long time, adhere to moderate physical activities every day, and maintain a reasonable sleep. In addition, smoking should be quit and alcohol consumption should be moderate.
