8 Facts *Every* Man Should Know About Heart Health

Contributed by Tommy Wyher.

Did you know your heart will pump the equivalent of 1 million bath-tubs of blood in its lifetime?

Interestingly, the majority of causes of heart disease are related to lifestyle factors, so the health of your heart rests squarely in your hands. As a high performing pump that works non-stop 24/7, your heart requires care and maintenance.

Looking after your heart means it will keep on pumping! With that in mind, here are some other health facts about your heart to take into consideration. Some of which we’re sure you may not even be aware of…

The warning signs of heart disease

Heart disease is your body’s worst enemy, often resulting in heart attacks or even strokes.

Thankfully your body is pretty good about providing a number of early warning signs, one of which is erectile dysfunction. Plaque build-up in the arteries of the penis is a common cause of erectile dysfunction, clogging up these small blood vessels and reducing blood flow.

Therefore, erectile dysfunction can often be a precursor to heart disease, as plaque also begins to build up in the coronary artery. This is just one of many potential early warning signs. Some other symptoms and risk factors include:

• Hormones (including low levels of testosterone)
• Diabetes
• Obesity

To keep your heart in good health, it’s important to monitor any potential symptoms. Check in regularly with your doctor, who will be able to check these during a regular heart health check, while your hormone doctor can check up on your testosterone levels.

Cut down on the salt

Are you one of the one in ten men with high blood pressure? If so, you should start reading food labels to choose foods with less sodium (salt). It’s been found that a diet high in salt increases your risk of high blood pressure, which in turn leads to a one in three chance of heart disease.

Look for sodium levels less than 400 mg per 100 grams, or ideally closer to 120 mg. Use herbs for flavouring and don’t add salt while cooking. The goal is to limit your sodium intake to less than a teaspoon a day.

Keep an eye on these numbers

High blood pressure and high cholesterol are linked with heart disease. If arteries become narrower and hardened with cholesterol plaque the heart strains to pump blood through them, resulting in high blood pressure.

Monitoring your blood pressure and cholesterol levels is important for monitoring heart health. Your doctor can test your cholesterol levels with a blood test and you can buy a blood pressure monitor for home-testing. Blood pressure numbers over 140/90 indicate a high blood pressure warning.

Check your waist size

The circumference of your waist is an important measurement because it’s a good indicator of how much excess fat you are carrying around your middle.

Body fat around your middle is more of a health risk than weight on your hips and thighs, as it points to internal fat deposits coating the heart and other organs. This increases the risk of heart disease and stroke.

Regardless of your height or build, for most male adults a waist measurement of greater than 40 inches increases health risk.

Know the symptoms of a heart attack

While one in five heart attacks are ‘silent’ with no obvious symptoms, it’s important to be able to recognize the indicators in order to get help urgently.

If you’re experiencing chest pain or discomfort, shortness of breath, coughing or wheezing, pain in other areas of the body above the waist or feeling tired, you may be suffering a heart attack and should seek help immediately.

The sooner you get emergency treatment for a heart attack, the greater the chances of survival.

It’s not too late to give up

Quitting smoking is one of the single best things you can do for your heart – and improved overall health and wellbeing. Just 12 weeks after snuffing out that final cigarette, your body will be enjoying better blood circulation, while in five years your risk of coronary thrombosis drops dramatically and is halved after ten years.

Focus on weight and exercise

If your weight is healthy and you’re relatively active, you can generally give yourself a pat on the back for taking care of your heart health, eating well, and most likely enjoy an enhanced sense of overall wellbeing.

Make dental hygiene a priority

It’s hard to imagine how the state of your teeth can impact your heart health – but studies show gum disease (Periodontitis) is linked with heart disease.

Poor dental hygiene causing inflammation of the gums releases bacteria into the bloodstream, affecting heart valves, increasing the risk of strokes, as well as other heart diseases. Gum disease can also be caused by a Vitamin K2 deficiency, an important vitamin that also prevents the buildup of calcium on your artery walls.

Regular dental check-ups along with brushing your teeth and flossing twice daily will help to maintain good dental health. As will adding sauerkraut to you diet to increase Vitamin K2 levels. Your heart will thank you for it!

Keep pumping

Sticking your head in the sand when it comes to the health of your heart may soon find you six feet under. Instead, learn about the risks that can impact your heart health such as those we’ve highlighted above and take a step toward understanding how to keep your heart healthier, and pumping, for longer.