How to keep your heart healthy

April 6, 2014  17:37

Experts found, that there are at least 30 ways to survive heart disease. They've collected a whole slew of simple, effective strategies for safeguarding your heart health on Fox News channel. You don't have to adopt all of these lifesavers, but give each one a try to see if you can stick with it for the long haul.

Love Her Two Times

Men who have sex once a month or less have a risk of developing heart disease that's 45 percent greater than that of guys who do it two or three times a week, a study in the American Journal of Cardiology reveals. Sex may protect your cardiovascular system like a clothed workout does, the researchers say.

Work In Some Walnuts

They're the alpha nuts in terms of alpha-linolenic acid, an omega-3 fat that fights inflammation, says Dr. Larry Santora, medical director of the Dick Butkus Heart and Vascular Screening Center in Orange, California.

Keep the Beat

Tomorrow morning, before you fumble to find your slippers, find your pulse. Then log your beats per minute (bpm), says cardio-thoracic surgeon Dr. Pierre Theodore, vice chairman of the medical advisory board at Grand Rounds. Healthy guys should be at or below 70 bpm. If your rate rises higher for a week or more, call your doctor.

Avoid Dirty Air

Inhaling ultrafine pollution particles can thicken the wall of your carotid artery, predisposing you to heart attacks, say University of Washington researchers.

Be a Bean Counter

Pass on the potatoes and spoon out the legumes. People who ate 1 cup of fiber-rich lentils, beans, or chickpeas a day reduced their systolic blood pressure by 4 mm Hg after three months, according to a study in Archives of Internal Medicine. Add black beans to salads, cook lentils into a curry, or scoop an extra serving of pinto beans into chili.

Come to Grips with BP

As little as four weeks of handgrip training can lower your blood pressure by about 10 percent, a meta-analysis in the Journal of Hypertension reports.

Start Scrambling. . .

. . .and stop thinking that eating eggs raises your LDL (bad) cholesterol. In fact, Brazilian research suggests a link between egg consumption and clearer coronary arteries. One guess is that the yolk's payload of vitamins E, B12, and folate may be the key. Just stop at four eggs a day to limit the calories.

Be a Breath Man

Stop and take a long, slow breath. Better yet, take six breaths in 30 seconds. Doing this can lower your systolic blood pressure by as much as 4 mm Hg within minutes, a study in Hypertension Research found.

Say F.U. to the Flu

On top of its virus-fighting powers, the flu vaccine nearly halves your risk of heart attack, suggests a study in the journal Heart.

Hit the Sack. . .

Compared with solid sleepers, insomniacs face a 45 percent increased risk of heart attack, according to a study from Norway. Just 30 minutes of exercise three times a week can boost your sleep.

. . .but Don't Sleep In

 

People who log 10 or more hours a night have an elevated risk of heart disease, according to a study in the journal Sleep. One explanation: Snoozing too much may be linked to weight gain and poor mental health. If you can't keep your z's in the healthy range (seven to nine hours), see your doc.

Go on a Trans Fat Fast

Columbia University scientists say you can significantly reduce your LDL-particle number (a marker of cardio risk) by cutting your trans fat intake by just 1 percent for a year.

Pig Out on Potassium

A CDC study found that consuming an extra 1,000 milligrams of potassium every day can reduce systolic BP. Bananas pack about 420 milligrams, and you can also find the mineral in sweet potatoes.

Charge Solar Cells

Scientists in Scotland found that 20 minutes of UV exposure can increase your body's production of nitric oxide, which lowers blood pressure. You can soak up some sun for 10 minutes twice a week, but check with your dermatologist first if you're fair-skinned or have had skin cancer.

Try the Silent Treatment

 

For each 10 decibels of traffic noise near your home, your heart attack risk rises 12 percent, say scientists in Denmark. At night, use earplugs.

Collar Cardiac Trouble

Dog owners tend to have lower blood pressure than Fido-free folks, according to a study in Circulation. Not ready to commit? Walk a friend's pooch a few times a week, says Dr. Richard Krasuski, a Cleveland Clinic cardiologist.

Join the Breakfast Club

In a recent Harvard study, men who typically skipped breakfast had a 27 percent increased risk of coronary heart disease, possibly because of greater fluctuations in their blood sugar and higher levels of blood triglycerides.

Kick the Can

Energy drinks may be enemy drinks. Research from the University of the Pacific showed that these caffeine-charged beverages can spike BP even in healthy guys. Stick with coffee.

Pour Some Milk

French research found that people who consumed the most low-fat dairy were least likely to have high LDL. The calcium in dairy may help boost fecal fat excretion from your body, which may help lower cholesterol, the scientists say.

Rock the Karaoke Bar. . .

Researchers in Sweden found that people who sing together have better heart-rate variability, or the interval of time between beats.

Follow the Spice Route

Cinnamon may look like dirt, but it acts like a drug. Two teaspoons of it, consumed with food, can tamp down postmeal blood sugar surges, according to a study published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Shack Up

Scientists in Finland say a single guy has up to a 168 percent higher risk of dying of a heart attack than a married man who lives with his mate. Alone? Join a Meetup group.

Shun Salad Dressing

 Dress greens with olive oil, vinegar, and lemon juice.

 Cook Up Some Kale

In a study from Harvard, men who averaged about 1 1/2 servings of leafy greens a day were 12 percent less likely to develop heart trouble than those who ate just one serving a week.

Grin at the Reaper

A sunny outlook may cut your coronary artery disease risk by up to half, say Johns Hopkins researchers, possibly because positivity helps fend off stress and inflammation

Color Yourself Healthy

If it's orange, eat it. (Except Cheetos.) A Finnish study found that men with the lowest blood levels of beta-carotene were about three times as likely to develop congestive heart failure as those who had the highest levels.

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