by Dan | May 31, 2012 | Exercise, Goals, Heart Health, Wellness/Health
Cardiovascular disease is the most common cause of death in the United States, and includes coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease (stroke), hypertension, and peripheral vascular disease (claudication of the legs).
An estimated 6 million people in the US have coronary heart disease, 2 million have cerebrovascular disease, and 58 million people have hypertension. The American Heart Association estimates that 63,290,000 people in the US have cardiovascular disease. So, nobody out there can say that they either do not suffer with it themselves, or that they do not nobody somebody directly who deals with this disease.
The chance of an American male developing coronary artery disease before age 60 is one in 5.
The American Heart Association estimates that 4,740,000 Americans alive today have a history of a heart attack, angina (chest pain), or both.
The even scarier statistic: Sudden death is the presenting symptom in 1 out of every 5 coronary attacks.
I could go on and on with statistics. For many of us, it is really not thought about until it affects either someone close to us, such as family, friends, or even ourselves, before we get the wake up call. There are many risk factors that go into this as well, some of which we can control, and others we cannot. These can range from our age/sex; smoking history; cholesterol levels; race; family history; obesity; hypertension itself; diabetes. We have to be able to control the factors that we can as much as possible. We need to be starting now, not after an event happens.
As I go forward on this topic, I will talk about what things can be done to test and evaluate for some of these problems, and what we can do to try and change our risk factors going forward. For a lot of these risk factors, we are “the drivers in control”. The more we know about our individual risk factors, the more we can do to change them, or at least improve our odds.
Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 1708
by Dan | May 26, 2012 | Exercise, Family, Goals, Heart Health, Motivation, Wellness/Health
This was the common question going around in Fargo the day of the half marathon and marathon. Everybody asking “How ya doin’?” following the race. They want to make sure everybody is recovering, and nobody having any health issues following the race. I had to keep asking myself this same thing during the race, and wondering whether I really was or not. When the fatigue starts setting in, your mind starts playing tricks on you, and you have to try and convince yourself that you are OK. At least I did not have to worry about my latest training partner, Steve. I knew he was at the finish line waiting. As I mentioned in the last several posts, he had been having some issues with his heart that were brought more to light several weeks before the marathon day.
Here he is pointing at me, and congratulating me after finishing, and breaking the 4 hour mark. I was happy to have him there, and I am holding my finisher medal over his chest/heart. I wanted him running that day too, but it was much safer for him not to. I would rather have a friend forever, than to have a running partner for 4 hours that day. Having him be safe was far more important than some race. He was with me that day, and especially those last few miles. I kept telling myself: “What would Steve be telling me now? Steve, Carletta, and Sarah are waiting for me at the finish line…keep moving, one foot in front of the other.” Things are improving, and hopefully soon we will be running together on some long runs again. Initial plans and talks may be involving the Walt Disney World marathon in mid January. Some people might think that doing this is just plain “Goofy”, but when you are a runner, or you exercise regularly, you understand. If you don’t have goals in your life, then things just kind of stagnate. You have to be willing to push yourself (as long as it is safe!), in order to really experience life to its fullest. Life brings us challenges everyday, and we deal with it. Knowing that some of these challenges you create for yourself are attainable, it makes some of the everyday challenges we deal with so much easier.
I am going to discuss more over the next several weeks issues in relationship to heart disease, and how it impacts all of us, either directly or indirectly. Exercise is still very important, and very helpful in controlling heart disease, high blood pressure, and all the ramifications thereof, but you have to listen to your body. You have to be aware of the risks involved, and you have to get those risks under control. Once this is done, you can move on and enjoy life much more, and hopefully, it will be a long life.
Keep moving everybody, and be safe!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 1703
by kelsey | May 10, 2012 | Diet, Etc., Food, Heart Health, Wellness/Health
Today I had the honor of being part of the Senior Issues Forum at the Codington County Extension Complex. It was a nice event with a good showing! During our open panel discussion, the topic of blood pressure and sodium came up frequently. Deb Sundem, Extention Specialist had a booth displaying various portions of salt and the amount of sodium in them. We recommend limiting your sodium intake to 1500-2400 mg/day. If you have high blood pressure and/or heart disease or are at risk for these diseases, it’s recommended to stay under 1500 mg to reduce risk for complications. This is very hard to do because salt is in everything! I included a picture of fried foods as processed foods and foods eaten out are typically highest in sodium. 1500 mg of sodium is less than 1 tsp of salt. Most Americans are getting anywhere from 3000-5000 mg/day!
It’s very important to choose low sodium options when you can and to try to use a salt substitute or herbs and spices over the regular salt when cooking. I was also asked about sea salt as some think it’s a better choice. Sea salt is processed differently which results in a more vibrant taste which makes some people use less. It does have a little less sodium than our regular iodized salt, however salt is salt! It’s best to use the salt substitute and/or herbs and spices as the sodium can really add up in a day!
In addition, a higher intake (5-9 servings) of fruits and vegetables has shown to improve hypertension and heart disease. Be sure to get plenty of these in your daily intake!
-Kelsey
by kelsey | Apr 24, 2012 | Diet, Heart Health, Wellness/Health
The American Heart Association recommends limiting sodium intake to ≤1500 mg/day for ideal heart health. The research between sodium intake and heart disease and hypertension is strong, but the link between sodium intake and stroke was not as strong….until now. Sodium is used as a preservative in a lot of foods and it most commonly found in processed, packaged, canned, and fried foods. The majority of Americans consume greater than 2300mg of sodium a day, thus well above where the AHA recommends. This study indicated that those who consumed above the recommendations had a greater risk for stroke. This study also indicated that those who’s sodium intake was higher, were also consuming a greater amount of calories, carbs, protein, fat, and saturated fat.
Overall, this study tells me that watching our sodium intake is even more important! The number one step for reducing sodium in your diet is to remove the salt shaker and/or use a salt substitute instead. Try to not cook with salt, instead cook with herbs and salt free seasonings such as Mrs. Dash. In addition, you’ll want to be more aware of your choices when eating out and choosing packaged foods. It’s ok to ask for special requests, ie- limit the salt or hold the salt. A greater intake of fruits and vegetables is also shown to be beneficial in improving hypertension and heart disease, so make efforts to get your 5 a day!
For the full study, click the link: http://stroke.ahajournals.org/content/early/2012/04/12/STROKEAHA.111.641043.abstract
-Kelsey
by kelsey | Feb 9, 2012 | Cooking Tips, Food, Heart Health
This morning, I had the opportunity to judge the heart healthy contest at the Watertown Winter Farm Show with two other judges. We evaluated several very tasty and delightful items. I applaud all of the contestants that took the time to tweak their recipes and finds ways to improve the nutrition status of their food item. Overall, participants make changes to the fat content, sugar content, and/or enhanced the recipe such as adding more fiber through various grains such as cracked wheat, oat bran, etc. Overall, it really showed me that adapting recipes doesn’t have to be a scary thing! There are so many options and ways to improve recipes and with a little time and energy you too, could turn your favorite, not the best for you, recipes into healthy, heartful ones. Next time you’re in the store, I encourage you to check out the various options, read labels, and think critically about how you could improve the nutrition of the foods you’re making.
-Kelsey
by kelsey | Feb 8, 2012 | Heart Health
I hope the heart health quiz tested your knowledge base some and I’m sure many of you did well if you have been following our blog for awhile! Here are the answers:
1) Which of the following foods is not specifically linked to a reduced risk of heart disease?
a) Garlic b) Oats c) Corn d) Grape juice e) Nuts
ANSWER: corn. All of the others are proven to reduce cholesterol and risk for HD.
2) The fiber in which of the following foods will lead to a reduction of blood cholesterol?
a) whole grain bread b) brown rice c) bran cereal d) carrots e) oats
ANSWER: oats. Oats have soluble fiber which binds with bile (fat emulsifier) and prevents absorption of cholesterol. The others contain insoluble fibers. Both types of fiber are good for us and we should try to get at least 25-30g/day.
3) What percentage of total deaths in the US is linked to heart disease? ANSWER: 40%
4) Which of the following conditions is not linked to metabolic syndrome, a cluster of conditions that vastly increases the risk for development of heart disease?
a) kidney disease b) low HDL cholesterol c) High total cholesterol d) insulin resistance ) abdominal obesity
ANSWER: kidney disease. Metabolic syndrome is diagnosed if any of the following three conditions are present: waist circumference >40″ for males, >35″ females; triglycerides >15, HDL < 40 in men, <50 in women; blood pressure > 130/85; and fasting glucose >110.
5) How many calories are contained in each gram of fat?
ANSWER: 9 calories. Carbohydrates and protein contain 4 g/cal.
6) Which of the following oils is high in saturated fat?
a) canola oil b) palm oil c) safflower oil d) corn oil e) soybean oil
ANSWER: palm oil. Canola, safflower, sunflower, flaxseed, olive, peanut, corn, soybean, and cottonsead oils are all unsaturated oils which promote heart health.
7) How much soy should you eat in a day to lower cholesterol?
ANSWER: 25g. When combined with a diet low in cholesterol and saturated fat, soy may help reduct risk of HD.
8) If you are trying to reduce your sodium intake, it is recommended that one serving of any food should not contain more than ___ mg of sodium?
ANSWER: 400mg/serving. We recommend to limit sodium to 1500-2400mg/day.
9) Potassium is shown to reduce blood pressure in humans. Which of the following foods are not high in potassium?
a) green, seedless grapes b) oranges/orange juice c) potatoes d) tomatoes e) bananas
ANSWER: green, seedless grapes. All of the others are great
10) Which of the following is a lean cut of beef?
a) 80/20 hamburger b) T-bone steak c) sirloin d) brisket e) chuck blade roast
ANSWER: sirloin. All the other choices are high in fat and cholesterol.
-Kelsey
www.rd411.com
