Lecture on heart disease prevention

Excluding the three uncontrollable factors of genetics, congenital developmental abnormalities, and secondary diseases, more than 90% of acquired heart diseases can be effectively prevented through daily detailed adjustments. There is no need for expensive health products or extreme lifestyle changes. The core is to avoid several common misunderstandings among the public.

I have been in the cardiology department for 12 years, and I just received a 32-year-old Internet operator last week. Every year, the electrocardiogram was normal. Last month, I worked on a project for 17 days in a row. I drank energy drinks as water. That afternoon, my chest suddenly became tight and I couldn’t breathe. My colleague called 120 and sent him over. An angiogram showed that 90% of the anterior descending artery was blocked. Fortunately, the stent was placed in time and I saved my life. He was lying on the hospital bed still confused, saying that I was not fat, nor smoked or drank, so why did I have a heart attack? You see, this is the misunderstanding that most people have about heart disease: they think that as long as they don’t have typical high-risk factors such as obesity and smoking, it won’t catch them.

Let’s talk about the dietary issue that everyone is most concerned about. Don’t be kidnapped by the saying that “you can’t eat fat meat or egg yolks at all.” There is still no unified conclusion in this academic field. The American Heart Association still insists on recommending that saturated fat should account for no more than 10% of total daily calories, and that people with high cholesterol should eat less egg yolks. ； However, a cohort study published by The Lancet last year with a 10-year follow-up also showed that for healthy people with no underlying diseases, there is no significant linear relationship between saturated fat intake and the risk of cardiovascular disease. I also eat braised pork ribs once a week. I really don’t need to blacklist these foods completely, as long as I don’t eat them every time and eat half a plate at a time. On the contrary, I met a 70-year-old patient before. He heard from a health regimen that a vegetarian diet can open up blood vessels. He ate boiled vegetables for more than a year without touching any oily smell. When he came for a follow-up examination, his low-density lipoprotein had dropped, but his total protein was low and his creatine kinase was also high. He felt weak and unable to walk. Later, he was asked to add lean pork twice a week and eat an egg every day. After three months of adjustment, his indicators became normal.

Oh, and don’t overdo it when it comes to exercise. Nowadays, many people think that the more exercise the better, running ten kilometers every day and running a full marathon on weekends. They think that this way the heart will be strong enough. In fact, this is also controversial. In recent years, many studies have shown that people who engage in excessive endurance exercise for a long time, such as people who run more than 10 marathons a year, have a risk of atrial fibrillation that is 2-3 times higher than those who do not exercise. Of course, I am not saying that exercise is not good. Ordinary people can rest assured and just do 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise every week, such as brisk walking, cycling, swimming, a faster heartbeat, and a slight sweat. If you are an endurance sports enthusiast, remember to do a dynamic electrocardiogram every year to check for potential arrhythmia problems. Don’t force yourself to run.

Don’t believe those health care products on the market that claim they can “unblock blood vessels” and “clear plaque.” I have to tell patients this eight hundred times every time I go to the clinic. Two months ago, I met a 62-year-old aunt. She listened to a health lecture and bought a 30,000-yuan "Vascular Scavenger". She secretly stopped the statin prescribed by the doctor. After taking it for six months, she had a follow-up check. She found that the original plaque had grown from 3mm to 7mm, and she almost had to get a stent. She still regrets it now. At present, no health care products can replace medicines and lifestyle adjustments. Patients who already have high blood pressure and high blood lipids should take medicine when they should, and don’t listen to people’s lies.

Many people ignore the impact of emotions on the heart. I have seen too many cases of heart disease caused by anger and anxiety. There was a 54-year-old aunt who suffered from chest pain for two days after a quarrel with her daughter-in-law. She thought she was too angry and didn't take it seriously. She couldn't bear it anymore and came to check. It turned out to be stress cardiomyopathy, also known as "broken heart syndrome". The ventricular walls of the heart were bulging. Fortunately, they were sent to the hospital in time and it took her a week to recover in the hospital. People who are chronically stressed, sulky, and anxious have large blood pressure fluctuations and are more than 30% more likely to have damaged vascular endothelium than people with a peaceful mind. Don't take everything to heart, go for a walk more, and chat with friends, which is more effective than taking any tonic.

Having said so much today, there is no requirement to achieve 100%. If you really can’t help but want to drink a glass of iced Coke or stay up late to watch the World Cup, once in a while, it’s really okay and your heart is not so delicate. I'm just afraid that if you stay up late every day, eat takeaways that are high in oil and salt, and still think that you are young and can handle it, it will be too late to regret it when it hurts. Finally, I would like to remind everyone that if you have frequent palpitations, chest tightness, or left shoulder pain for no reason recently, even if you just rest for a few minutes, you must go to a cardiology department for a check-up. Early detection and early intervention are better than anything else.