How To Keep Your Heart Young

Exercise and proper diet are a good start. But these cardiologist-approved tips offer surprisingly helpful additions to any routine

- Valero Doval

Given our current health crisis, it’s easy to forget that COVID-19 is not the leading cause of death in the world. That distinction belongs to heart disease, which killed more than nine million adults in 2019 and represents 16 per cent of all deaths globally according to the WHO. Over six million of these deaths occurred in people between the ages of 30 and 70 and the highest incidents occurred in China, followed by India, Russia and the US. Research shows that COVID-19 itself may harm the heart, by either hindering the flow of oxygen or initiating a potentially damaging immune response. Clearly, it is more important than ever to take control of your cardiovascular health no matter your age: These 25 facts are a perfect place to begin any heart-health education.

1 Get screened early

The US Preventive Services Task Force recommends that everyone over age 18 get regularly screened for hypertension, or high blood pressure. According to results of a 2019 survey conducted by the Cardiological Society of India, almost one in every three Indian adults are hypertensive. And a study in PLOS Medicine revealed that less than 45 per cent remain undiagnosed. “Your blood pressure can be high without showing any symptoms— that’s why it’s known as ‘the silent killer’,” says Nieca Goldberg, MD, a cardiologist and the medical director for the Joan H. Tisch Center for Women’s Health at New York University’s Langone Medical Center. You should also get a lipoprotein profile, which measures your LDL (bad) cholesterol, HDL (good) cholesterol and total cholesterol. Left untreated, high blood pressure and high cholesterol can lead to heart disease, an aneurysm or even a stroke.

2 Manage stress and anxiety