Sticking with these heart-healthy strategies can be challenging, Niiranen notes. And the older you are, the more difficult it may be to achieve the desired results. In this study, about 30 percent of study subjects in their 50s had the low blood pressure and supple arteries characteristic of healthy vascular aging—compared with only 1 percent of people 70 and older. But it is possible, says Niiranen. Small studies have found that tribal communities in South America, Africa, and Oceania—who subsist on hunting and gathering—tend to have much lower rates of high blood pressure , hardening of the arteries, and heart disease than those in Westernized cultures.
That's likely, Niiranen says, because they have a far healthier diet and more active lifestyle than many of us do. To help keep your arteries healthy and reduce heart disease risks, the researchers advise that you:. Maintain a normal body weight. Excess pounds can burden your arteries and other blood vessels, along with your heart, lungs, and skeleton.
Staying at a healthy weight—often measured as a body mass index BMI between Be active. Studies have found that aerobic exercise can help you maintain more flexible arteries, and offers a host of other heart-health benefits. You can work up to that goal if you need to—start with just 10 minutes per day. If walking for fitness isn't for you, try an activity such as swimming , biking, or yoga.
Eat well. A heart-healthy diet —which is also good for your arteries—should include plentiful amounts of fruits and vegetables four to five daily servings of each , along with legumes and whole grains, instead of more processed grains, such as those in white bread and regular pasta. Choose healthy fats—like those in olive and vegetable oils, avocados , fatty fish, nuts, and seeds—over saturated fat and trans fats.
Keep a close eye on sweets, too. Added sugars , rather than those that occur naturally in fruits , can increase heart risks. As the deposits harden and occlude the arterial lumen, blood flow to distant tissues decreases and a clot may become lodged, completely blocking the artery. Angina is a specific type of pain in the chest caused by inadequate blood flow through the blood vessels coronary vessels of the heart muscle myocardium.
Atherosclerosis is a disease of the arteries in which fatty material is deposited in the vessel wall, resulting in narrowing and eventual impairment of blood flow. Severely restricted blood flow in the arteries to the heart muscle leads to symptoms such as chest pain. Atherosclerosis shows no symptoms until a complication occurs. Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like material that is found in all parts of the body.
It comes from two sources: our liver produces it, and we consume it in animal products. The coronary arteries supply blood to the heart muscle. The right coronary artery supplies both the left and the right heart; the left coronary artery supplies the left heart.
Atherosclerosis often occurs with aging. As you grow older, plaque buildup narrows your arteries and makes them stiffer. These changes make it harder for blood to flow through them. Clots may form in these narrowed arteries and block blood flow. Pieces of plaque can also break off and move to smaller blood vessels, blocking them.
These blockages starve tissues of blood and oxygen. This can result in damage or tissue death. It is a common cause of heart attack and stroke. High blood cholesterol levels can cause hardening of the arteries at a younger age.
For many people, high cholesterol levels are due to a diet that is too high in saturated fats and trans fats. Blood is the fuel that keeps your body alive and working. It's your blood that transports the oxygen your cells need to survive. To get to your heart and out the rest of your body, blood needs a clear pathway through your arteries. But as you get older - and if you eat too many French fries and cheeseburgers - your arteries can harden and narrow, fill with plaque, leaving less room for blood to flow through.
Let's talk today about atherosclerosis. Your arteries are like the pipes your water flows through to get to your bathroom sink. When the pipes are clear, water flows easily through them. But when minerals, rust, and other debris get stuck in the pipes, it clogs them up, leaving less room for water to flow through. That's why you get nothing more than a drip when you turn on your bathroom sink. In your arteries, clogs are caused by plaque.
Plaque is a substance made up of fat and cholesterol, which are found in unhealthy foods like those French fries and also bacon. Because plaque is sticky, it collects on your artery walls and blocks the flow of blood. Sometimes a clump of plaque breaks off and floats away to a smaller blood vessel leading to your heart or brain.
If it gets stuck in that vessel, you can have a heart attack or stroke. Or, the plaque can weaken an artery wall, which is called an aneurysm. If that aneurysm breaks open, you could have a very life-threatening bleeding.
How can you tell if you have atherosclerosis? Well, that's the tricky part, because often atherosclerosis doesn't cause any symptoms until you've got a blocked artery. And by then, you could already be having a heart attack or stroke. So that you don't discover the problem too late, see your doctor for regular check-ups. Also have your blood pressure checked every 1 to 2 years before age 50, and then once a year after that. You may need to have your blood pressure checked even more often if you have high blood pressure, heart disease, or you've already had a stroke.
Although you can't reverse atherosclerosis once it starts, you can prevent it with some easy lifestyle changes. More frequent measurement may be needed for those with a history of high blood pressure readings or those with risk factors for high blood pressure.
Cholesterol testing is recommended in all adults. The major national guidelines differ on the suggested age to start testing. The goal of treatment is to reduce your blood pressure so that you have a lower risk of health problems caused by high blood pressure. You and your provider should set a blood pressure goal for you. Your provider may want you to take medicine for abnormal cholesterol levels or for high blood pressure if lifestyle changes do not work.
This will depend on:. Your provider may suggest taking aspirin or another medicine to help prevent blood clots from forming in your arteries. These medicines are called antiplatelet drugs. DO NOT take aspirin without first talking to your provider. Losing weight if you are overweight and reducing blood sugar if you have diabetes or pre-diabetes can help reduce the risk of developing atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis cannot be reversed once it has occurred.
However, lifestyle changes and treating high cholesterol levels can prevent or slow the process from becoming worse. This can help reduce the chances of having a heart attack and stroke as a result of atherosclerosis. In some cases, the plaque is part of a process that causes a weakening of the wall of an artery. This can lead to a bulge in an artery called an aneurysm. Aneurysms can break open rupture. This causes bleeding that can be life threatening. Hardening of the arteries; Arteriosclerosis; Plaque buildup - arteries; Hyperlipidemia - atherosclerosis; Cholesterol - atherosclerosis.
J Am Coll Cardiol. PMID: pubmed. Genest J, Libby P. Lipoprotein disorders and cardiovascular disease. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; chap Libby P. The vascular biology of atherosclerosis. Marks AR.
0コメント