Contents:
- Medical Video: Exercise & Heart Health - Karol Watson, MD | UCLA Women's Cardiovascular Center
- The risk of hereditary heart disease is higher in people whose lifestyles are not healthy
- So, how to prevent the risk of hereditary heart disease?
- 1. Eat foods that are healthy for the heart
- 2. Regular exercise to maintain weight
- 3. Health check routine
Medical Video: Exercise & Heart Health - Karol Watson, MD | UCLA Women's Cardiovascular Center
Has your father had a stroke? Or, does your mother have heart disease? Are your grandparents who have had a heart attack? If the answer is "yes" for one of the questions above (or maybe more), chances are that you have a risk factor for hereditary heart disease.
However, you don't need to worry. Read on this article to find out how to avoid getting heart disease if you do have "talent".
The risk of hereditary heart disease is higher in people whose lifestyles are not healthy
Just like physical characteristics, the risk of heart disease can also be inherited from your parents. There are many different types of heart disease that can be inherited in the family tree. For example, arrhythmias, heart valve abnormalities, heart attacks, strokes, and heart failure.
Your risk of developing heart disease if you have a hereditary gene can be higher than other people who only live a bad lifestyle, but do not inherit a heart-triggering gene from their parents or grandparents.
Moreover, the appearance of the disease can occur more quickly if you have heart diseaseAND also live an unhealthy lifestyle such as eating fatty foods and lack of exercise. Plus, a number of risk factors for heart disease such as high cholesterol and hypertension, are also strongly associated with family health history.
So, how to prevent the risk of hereditary heart disease?
For people who have the key "talent" for heart disease to prevent it is to change their lifestyle to be healthier, some cardiovascular specialists, Dr. Vito A. Damay, SpJP (K), M.Kes FIHA FICA, who is also a presenter of health programs on national TV.
"If parents do have heart disease, actually your chances of getting heart disease can be lower if you get used to healthy living," said Dr. Vito, when interviewed by the Hello Sehat team in Sudirman, Friday (9/28). In fact, discipline to live a healthy lifestyle as early as possible can prevent your chances of getting heart disease in the future.
However, what are the steps that must be taken so that life remains healthy and far from the risk of heart disease?
1. Eat foods that are healthy for the heart
If you have heart disease, you should pay close attention to what you eat and drink every day. In general, you should start reducing your intake of high-salt foods, fatty foods, oily foods, high cholesterol, sweet foods and drinks, and preservative food and beverages.
Instead, multiply eating fresh fruits and vegetables and nuts and seeds. Also, choose lean protein sources and high omega-3 foods such as salmon and tuna.
Confused where to start? Follow the guidelines of the Mediterranean diet which has been named the healthiest diet for the heart.
2. Regular exercise to maintain weight
People who are overweight or overweight are at greater risk for heart disease, especially heart attacks. The reason is, a pile of fat will inhibit the heart's work to drain blood so that it increases blood pressure. Hypertension is one of the main risk factors for heart disease.
Plus, while the heart's workload increases, the ability to squeeze will decrease. In the end, the heart cannot bleed optimally at each heartbeat. When blood starts to pool in the heart, you can experience congestive heart failure.
To check whether your current weight is ideal or even at risk of obesity, calculate it with the Hello Healthy body mass index calculator or at bit.ly/indeksmassatubuh. If your BMI score is equal to or exceeds 30, this indicates a serious weight problem. Immediately consult a doctor to make an effective exercise plan for weight loss.
3. Health check routine
Furthermore, Dr. Vito stressed the importance of health checks (medical checkup) routine to detect the risk of hereditary heart disease. Immediate health screening at the nearest hospital starting at age 20.
A variety of heart health tests in hospitals that need to be undertaken by people who have "talent" for heart disease are blood pressure checks, cardiac ECG, heart x-rays, and heart ultrasound. In addition, you may also need to undergo treadmill test while having a heart ECG paired to check the condition of the heart while being "forced" to do physical activity, to the heart rate to detect coronary heart disease or narrowing of the heart arteries.
If it turns out the results medical checkup normal or your risk is low, you can go back to screening a maximum of 5 years later. But for those of you who are at high risk for heart disease due to heredity, check your overall health condition in 6 weeks to 3 months thereafter.
Don't forget to check cholesterol and hypertension levels every 3 months since the first medical check-up to see if there is a difference after having a healthy lifestyle and taking medication (if it has been prescribed by a doctor). In general, advanced health screening for those of you who are at high risk of developing hereditary heart disease is once every 1-2 years.
In essence, to prevent the risk of hereditary heart disease is a healthy lifestyle. "Don't smoke and don't get overweight so you don't get diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol," said Dr. Vito. These are all factors that can accelerate or increase your risk of heart disease.
