4 Ways to Actually Reduce Your Heart Failure Risk, According to Science

Your heart may be relatively small, but it has a big job to do. Each day, the fist-size organ pumps about 2,000 gallons of blood throughout your body, according to the American Heart Association (AHA). That is, of course, when it’s operating as it should be.

Your heart is a critical part of your cardiovascular system, and it has two main roles: to send blood to the lungs so it can be oxygenated; and then to pump that fresh, oxygen- and nutrient-rich blood back out to the rest of your body, David N. Smith, MD, a cardiologist at Premier Cardiovascular Care in Charlotte, North Carolina, and a clinical assistant professor at Yale School of Medicine, tells SELF. When the heart isn’t pumping well enough to perform these functions properly, that’s considered heart failure.

 

With heart failure, “the heart doesn’t circulate the blood adequately enough to allow the person to do normal activities,” Keith C. Ferdinand, MD, Gerald S. Berenson Endowed Chair in preventive cardiology and professor of medicine at Tulane University School of Medicine, tells SELF. You may have trouble walking up the stairs or carrying groceries, for example. (Generally, though, the symptoms of heart failure can be wide-ranging.)

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), roughly 6.2 million adults in the United States are living with heart failure. By 2030, that number is estimated to rise by 46%, affecting more than 8 million people.¹

Talking with your doctor to understand your risk and doing your best to adopt lifestyle habits that keep your heart strong will help you mount the best defense. Here’s what you should know to keep heart failure out of your future.

How to reduce your heart failure risk

Several factors can increase your risk of heart failure; genetics, a personal or family history of cardiovascular disease, certain infections, certain underlying conditions, access to reliable health care, and your overall lifestyle can all play a role in your chances of developing the condition. So how do you minimize your chances? Consider starting with these four changes:

1. Keep tabs on your blood pressure.

There’s a reason this is always part of your annual physical. High blood pressure (a.k.a. hypertension) is a well-established marker for heart disease, including heart failure.² When you have high blood pressure, your arteries—which transport blood away from your heart—become thicker and stiffer.³ So your heart will have a pretty tough time pumping the proper amount of blood, Dr. Ferdinand says. Eventually, the heart can get bigger and weaker, leading to heart failure.⁴

To keep your blood pressure in the optimal range—which is typically less than 120/80mm Hg—you should prioritize exercise; eat nutritious meals you enjoy; get quality sleep; drink less alcohol; and avoid smoking (or make a plan to quit if you do).

Your doctor may also recommend using an over-the-counter blood pressure monitor to regularly keep tabs on your numbers at home. During checkups, a log of these readings can help your doctor get a sense of whether certain treatments, like making lifestyle changes or taking prescribed medication, are working.

2. Do your best to keep stress in check.

When you’re feeling lots of pressure at work, preparing for a major move, or worrying about a loved one in the hospital, your body pumps out lots of stress hormones, like adrenaline and cortisol—which constricts your blood vessels, spikes your heart rate, and ultimately raises your blood pressure, the AHA notes. As David Majure, MD, the medical director of the Heart Transplant Service at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, puts it: Emotional tension can have a “profound impact” on your heart.⁵

Temporary stress is an unavoidable part of life—but if it becomes a persistent cloud that looms over you and interferes with your ability to eat well, sleep enough, and generally take care of yourself, it’s time to do a mental check-in. There are steps you can take to cope with intense emotions, as well as your body’s reaction to them, Thea Gallagher, PsyD, a psychologist and clinical associate professor at NYU Langone Health, tells SELF.

These stress-relieving activities, breathing and mindfulness exercises, grounding techniques, and meditation apps are all great places to start. Whatever you do to help your mind and body chill out, remember, “It’s about bringing yourself back to what is happening right now,” Dr. Gallagher says.

3. Make small changes to your meals.

Eating a heart-healthy diet doesn’t mean eating a restrictive diet. Making small changes to your daily meals over time can make a big impact. The biggest tweak to consider: Reduce your sodium intake. Of course, some sodium is essential—and salt makes your meals taste good too.

But many of us consistently overdo it with the salty stuff, per the US Food and Drug Administration. The AHA recommends having no more than 2,300 milligrams of sodium per day—yet the average person tends to consume more than 3,400 mg daily. “Salt makes you retain a lot of fluid and that fluid leads to a lot of pressure in the blood vessels,” Dr. Smith explains. This can then affect the kidneys’ ability to function properly, which can lead to high blood pressure. “If the kidneys are not working well, then you [retain] all of that fluid; you don’t pee it out. The heart becomes unable to pump against the kidney, and it can’t pump all that extra fluid,” Dr. Smith says, which can set the stage for heart failure.

There’s no need to totally avoid the salt shaker when cooking at home: The most sodium tends to hide in canned and preserved foods, as well as restaurant meals, so consider starting there. Upping your potassium intake is also a good idea, since the mineral counteracts the effects of sodium and helps regulate the balance of fluid in your body, Dr. Ferdinand says. You can find an abundance of potassium in cooked lentils, squash, prunes, baked potatoes, bananas, and many other fruits, veggies, legumes, nuts, and fish.

Dr. Smith also recommends loading up foods that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon, sardines, tuna, and mackerel, since your body doesn’t make these fats on its own. This type of unsaturated fatty acid may help reduce your blood pressure and triglycerides (a type of fat in the blood), slow the buildup of plaque in your arteries, and help fight inflammation in the body, all of which can help reduce your risk of heart disease. Aim for two servings of omega-3-rich fish per week, if you can, per the AHA.

4. Find a form of movement you genuinely enjoy.

The benefits of heart-pumping exercise are clear—and it doesn’t have to be super vigorous to be effective, Dr. Ferdinand says. He recommends doing meaningful movement for 30 to 40 minutes most days of the week (think: walking, cycling, swimming, dancing, or even gardening—anything that gets your heart beating faster. ).

Try to work up to a minimum of 150 minutes of moderately intense activity per week—even better if you can add in two days of dedicated strength training. Adding regular exercise to your routine works your heart and lungs for a dedicated period of time, which improves blood circulation and helps your heart pump more efficiently. Plus, exercise helps lower your blood pressure, keeps your cholesterol steady, and reduces stress, according to the US National Library of Medicine—again, all things your heart with thank you for. (If you have a medical condition, just be sure to check in with your doctor before you start a new workout routine to ensure you’re approaching it safely.)

The bottom line: While some heart failure risk factors are out of your control, focusing on the small but impactful changes you can make will help keep your heart healthy for the long haul—and it’s never too late to start.

 

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.   

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