Heart attacks are more common among men than in women. South Africans are noted for their obesity which can be a contributing factor to heart disease.
September is National Heart awareness month. Knowing your health status helps you to take necessary measures to prevent heart disease or attacks.
The human heart is one of the most important organs in your body. High blood pressure (hypertension) is a major risk factor for heart attack and stroke. If you are overweight, you have a higher risk of having high blood pressure. Many are not aware that they are hypertensive.
High blood cholesterol can lead to a build up of fatty material in the walls of arteries, reducing the blood supply to the heart or brain, so increasing your risk of heart attack and stroke. Blood cholesterol is influenced by the amount of fat in your diet. Eating fried and fatty foods leads to high cholesterol levels.
By controlling your blood pressure you’ll be saving your heart. Diabetes increases your risk of having heart disease, heart attack or stroke. Diabetics often have high blood pressure, high cholesterol and are overweight, which increases their risk even more.
If you have diabetes, take care of your heart. Being a diabetic means you are more likely to have a heart attack or a stroke. But if you manage your diabetes you can prevent heart attacks and strokes.
Heart attack is when the heart muscle is left without oxygen, causing death of the muscle and leaving the heart unable to pump blood to the rest of the body.
Warning signs of a heart attack:
– Heavy pressure, tightness, pain in the centre of the chest. This may spread to shoulders, arms, neck or jaw and last for a few minutes
– Shortness of breath
– Cold Sweats, light headedness or nausea
Phone for an ambulance immediately if you suspect a heart attack.
There are many ways to take care of your heart and to keep it healthy. Eating healthy foods is a key factor. It’s important to stick to foods that are low in fat, cholesterol and salt. High fibre foods are great for your heart. Fruits and vegetables make up a big part of a healthy diet.
