5 Simple Ways to Save Your Heart

How women can save their hearts.  New research reveals that with a few lifestyle tweaks you can slash your odds of becoming one of the 8 million women with cardiovascular disease.

1. Know your numbers – Do you know what your blood pressure was the last time you were at the doctor?  If your doctor didn’t tell you that your blood pressure was high, don’t assume you are in the clear.  Nearly 20 percent of people under the age of 35 have pre-hypertension (reading between normal 120/80 and 139/89) reveals research from the University of California, San Francisco.  The study also found that these young adults were more likely to develop high blood pressure, or hypertension, over the next 2 decades than those who had healthy readings.  At your next doctors visit find out your reading, and if your numbers are above 119/79, start making changes, such as lowering your sodium.  Also consider the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet, which has been shown to make a difference in two weeks.
2. Go bananas -  Research at Osaka University in Japan found that people who took in the lowest levels of potassium had a 35 percent greater risk of death from cardiovascular disease than those who got the most.  Most women only get about half the 4,700 milligrams of potassium they need daily, and potassium is important for heart health since it works with sodium to regulate the water balance in the body, which promotes normal blood pressure.  In addition to eating bananas, try eating halibut, tomato sauce, lima beans, or papaya.
3. Get 8 hours of shut-eye – Harvard research reveals that people who slept five or fewer hours a night had a 39 percent greater risk of having heart disease than those who got at least eight.  Sleep is crucial for the body to repair itself.  According to Dr. Edward Suarez, at Duke University Medical Center, “Not spending enough time in bed means your body can’t repair the daily damage to cells and tissues.  This can lead to inflammation, the immune system’s response to injury.”  This build up of inflammation may cause fatty deposits to build up in arteries.  Can’t find time to get 8 hours of rest a night, then try to find time to take a 30 minute nap at least 3 times a week.  Not only will napping slash your risk of heart disease by one-third, it can also help to reduce stress levels.
4. Make a peanut butter sandwich – Peanut butter is packed with magnesium; “Magnesium may battle harmful free radical molecules that attack the tissues, blood vessels, and heart,” says Dana King, M.D.  Some other great sources of magnesium include beans, spinach, and artichokes.  When eating your peanut butter sandwiches, be sure to eat it on a high fiber bread (at least 3 grams per slice).
5. Rethink your birth control – The same hormones that prevent pregnancy (estrogen & progestin) may also make your blood vessels less flexible, and over time, raise your blood pressure.  For instance, women who use the birth control patch have double the risk for blood clots versus those who take oral contraceptives.  For most women, the benefits outweigh the risks, but if you smoke, have hypertension, or pre-hypertension, monitor your blood pressure weekly.  It is important to speak with your gynecologist to find the properly birth control method for you.

This full article can be found in Shape Magazine February 2009 health report by Richard Laliberte.