'Can you prevent a heart attack?'

Healthy Living

'Can you prevent a heart attack?'

By EDUARDO GONZALES, MD

January 24, 2012, 9:54am

Q: I have a friend who died of a heart attack last week. He was only 47 years old. I dread the thought of dying young myself because of a heart attack. Is there something I can do to prevent a heart attack?  — Jo9eq@yahoo.com

MANILA, Philippines — A: A heart attack or myocardial infarction is the most common fatal manifestation of heart disease. It occurs when a blood vessel (coronary artery) that supplies the heart tissues with oxygen gets completely clogged and results in the death of the heart tissues that the artery supplies. It is often the end result of an underlying coronary artery disease, a condition in which the coronary arteries get narrowed because of deposition of cholesterol and other fatty materials in their walls.

The risk factors for coronary heart disease are already well established: advancing age, family history of coronary heart disease, smoking, hypertension, dyslipidemia (i.e., persistently high blood levels of cholesterol), obesity, diseases like diabetes mellitus, sedentary lifestyle and chronic psychological stress. Although you lack the power to change some of these risk factors, such as family history and age, you can modify many of the others if you wish to significantly reduce your chances of developing a heart attack.

Here are lifestyle changes that you need to adopt to prevent a heart attack:

1. If you smoke, Stop. When you quit smoking, your risk of heart disease drops dramatically within a year. And no matter how long or how much you smoked, you’ll start reaping rewards as soon as you quit.

2. Shift and stick to a heart-healthy diet.  This will help you keep your blood cholesterol and blood pressure within normal limits. Your diet should contain a variety of foods from all the food categories, with emphasis on fruits and vegetables. It should be low-salt and low-fat.

• Eat lean meat only—trim the fat from meat and avoid pork and other pork products; discard the skin and fat from chicken and other fowls. Minimize your intake of processed meat and innards (tripe, liver, kidneys, etc.).

• Eat a lot of fish, but pass up on shellfish (lobster, shrimp, crab) and canned fish.

• Eat a lot of leafy vegetables, cereal and grain products, legumes, nuts and fruits.

• Reduce your fat intake. Cook food with a minimum of cooking oil and use vegetable oil only. Take skimmed instead of whole milk; avoid butter, saturated fats, lard, gravies, bacon drippings and cream sauces. Do not eat foods that contain or were prepared using trans fat such as margarine and many snack or “junk foods.”

• Limit your alcohol intake to two drinks per day (note: for women, it’s just one drink per day).

• Limit your salt intake. Cook food only to taste and do not use sawsawan.

3. Attain and maintain an appropriate body weight. If you are overweight, you need to implement dietary measures to lose your excess weight. Thereafter, maintain your body weight by matching your energy intake with your energy needs. At all times, avoid excessive food intake.

4. Exercise regularly. Experts recommend a minimum of 30 to 60 minutes of walking or other moderately vigorous exercise at least five times a week, supplemented by extra activity such as gardening and housework.

5. Avoid or manage stress. Indulging in sports and listening to music are ways of handling stress.

6. Have a regular check-up with your physician. Annually, would be ideal. This will ensure early intervention in case you develop hypertension, high cholesterol and blood lipoproteins levels, or diabetes mellitus.

(Email inquiries on health matters to: medical_notes@yahoo.com)