world heart day It is celebrated every year on September 29.
The global event raises awareness of cardiovascular disease, including how to recognize the warning signs and how to reduce the risk of developing heart-related conditions.
Its goal is to improve access to treatment and support, create a healthy environment that is good for the heart (for example, by reducing pollution), and achieve healthy hearts for all.
World Heart Day encourages people to better understand how and why leading a healthy lifestyle can help reduce the risk of heart disease.
Lifestyle factors, such as stress or diet, can play a role in heart health.
Since many cardiovascular diseases affect the heart valves, it’s important to prioritize heart valve health in particular during World Heart Day and beyond.
heart valve diseaseor valvular heart disease, occurs when any valve in the heart becomes damaged or diseased.
Heart valves open and close to help regulate the amount of blood that flows to and from the heart, essentially creating a healthy cardiovascular system.
The disease can be caused by a number of factors, including infection or congenital conditions. There are three main types of heart valve disease:
- valve stenosis, when the heart valves become too narrow
- valve prolapse, when the valve flaps don’t close properly
- regurgitation, when blood leaks backwards through a valve, sometimes caused by prolapse
Lifestyle changes can improve the health of your heart valves. These are easy, healthy changes you can make that can go a long way toward supporting your cardiovascular system.
moderate exercise
Regular physical activity provides numerous health benefits that lead to a healthy heart. Moderate exercise can help you lose excess weight, improve fitness, and reduce stress.
It can also help lower “bad” LDL cholesterol levels and high blood pressure, which can contribute to heart disease.
Adults should get the recommended 30 minutes of moderate exercise 5 days a week. Examples of moderate exercise include brisk walking, dancing, gardening, or riding a slow bike.
Healthy nutrition
Maintaining a healthy diet is one of the most important ways to prevent and control heart disease.
A good standard to keep in mind is to try to consume at least as many calories as you take in each day. You can increase the number of calories you burn by increasing the amount and intensity of your physical activity.
Consider eating a healthy diet that incorporates the following:
- Avoid processed foods.
- Look for whole grains and foods made primarily from whole grains.
- Get your protein from healthy sources, such as legumes, nuts, shellfish, or lean meats.
- Use liquid vegetable oils and avoid tropical oils.
- Look for a variety of fruits and vegetables.
- Limit added sugars.
- Avoid salt.
- Limit alcohol, or preferably avoid it.
With a little extra planning, it’s possible to maintain this diet at home and when eating out.
stop smoking
In the United States, cigarette smoking causes about 1 in 5 deaths every year.
Smoking is harmful to almost every organ in your body, especially your heart. In fact, smoking is a major risk for heart disease.
When you smoke, you breathe in chemicals that damage your heart and blood vessels. This can make you more likely to develop plaque buildup in your arteries, or atherosclerosis.
Even inhaling secondhand smoke can cause the same damage in people who don’t smoke.
That’s why quitting smoking is essential to maintaining not only the health of your own heart, but also the health of the people around you.
Dental hygiene
It may surprise you, but dental hygiene is closely related to heart health, particularly the health of the heart valves.
A study 2018 presented by the American Heart Association looked at the connection between tooth brushing habits and the risk of having or dying from a heart attack, heart failure, or stroke.
The researchers found that people who brushed less than twice a day for less than two minutes had a three times higher risk of these conditions.
It is clear that it is important to brush your teeth at least twice a day for two minutes or more each time to help maintain not only your oral health but also your general and cardiovascular health.
Boosting your awareness
Simply being aware of the statistics surrounding heart disease can go a long way. Understanding the causes and warning signs can also help you identify and prevent heart disease.
Here’s what you should know about heart valve disease in particular:
Heart valve disease is more common in older adults. About 2.5% of the US population has heart valve disease.
Almost 25,000 deaths each year in the United States are from heart valve disease due to causes other than rheumatic disease (caused by damage from rheumatic fever).
Symptoms of heart valve disease can include:
- difficulty breathing
- Chest pain
- fatigue
- dizziness or fainting
- fever
- rapid weight gain
- irregular heartbeat
Heart valve disease may not show symptoms until it reaches an advanced stage. That’s why it’s important to have regular physical exams.
Work with your doctor
It’s important to see your doctor for regular checkups for your overall health. But it’s particularly important for heart health to see your doctor if you suspect or notice any signs of heart valve disease.
Your doctor can help you monitor your blood pressure, cholesterol, and other indicators of possible cardiovascular disease.
You can also work with your doctor to implement certain lifestyle changes. These include identifying and incorporating a healthy diet, finding ways to reduce stress, and helping you quit smoking or drinking, if necessary.
If you have multiple conditions to care for, your health care team can also collaborate on your overall treatment plan.
