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Preventing Heart Attacks In Winter With LS7 Rules: 7 Effective Lifestyle Changes To Reduce The Risk. Scroll Down To Know More.

India bears 60% of the world’s heart disease burden with a shocking 50% of heart attacks striking people aged 50 and under. The mortality rate from Coronary Artery Disease (CAD), the most common form of heart disease, in India is as much as 20 50% higher than in any other country in Asia. If you’re wondering what makes us more vulnerable to heart disease and what you can do to improve the odds, you’ll want to read what’s next. In the below article, Dr Ramesh Menon, Associate Director – Personal Genomics & Genomic Medicine, MedGenome, has explained what increases your risk of developing heart attacks, especially during the winters, and what lifestyle modifications are needed to protect your heart.

Causes of Heart Disease

Heart disease risk has been linked to various factors including lifestyle and genetics. The lifestyle factors include smoking habits, stress, being inactive, being overweight/obese, having high levels of cholesterol, excessive alcohol intake, high blood pressure, having diabetes, etc. A strong family history of heart disease is a clear risk indicator.

Lifestyle changes, preventive screening for timely intervention, and medication are some ways to bring down the risk of adverse events from heart disease. There’s an abundance of information on the subject and that can sometimes be too much to absorb. The LS7 pointers help whittle the information down into actionable trackable items so that you can manage your heart health better.

Follow The LS7 Rules for Heart Health

The American Heart Association released a list of 7 pointers to track and follow to help support good heart health. Since the list was first published, a link between these metrics and heart disease risk has been firmly established. For instance, there is a strong inverse association between following these rules and the risk of stroke, myocardial infarction (MI), and coronary heart disease (CHD), as well as other cardiovascular outcomes.

7 Easy Tips To Get Your LS7 On Track

Research shows that those who achieve healthy levels of 3-4 of the 7 measures stand to cut their risk of heart-related death by more than 50%. Once you’ve taken stock of your risk indicators there are some ways to help make lifestyle and other changes to lower your chances of developing heart disease.

Quit Smoking

If you’re a smoker, quitting can drastically lower your risk of CAD in just the first 5 years after you stop. The risk falls most sharply at the 1-2 year cessation point and continues to drop steadily after.

Start Exercising Regularly

It will strengthen your heart muscle, lower your cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure, and can help with blood sugar control as well. It can also aid in weight loss. Overall, this one habit targets 5 of the LS7(BMI, physical activity, cholesterol, blood pressure, and serum glucose levels)!

Lose Weight

If you are overweight or obese as indicated by your BMI level, work on a healthy weight loss regimen through a combination of lifestyle changes, diet, and exercise. Obesity is known to be a direct contributor to cardiovascular risk factors.

Control Blood Sugar Levels

If you are diabetic or pre-diabetic take action to keep your levels in check. Recent research has found that even moderately elevated blood sugar levels can mean a 30 50% greater risk of developing heart disease even if below the diabetes threshold.

Get Your Cholesterol Levels In Control

Unchecked high cholesterol can lead to plaque buildup clogging your arteries and resulting in a greater risk of stroke and heart disease. Consult a doctor to see if you need medication to manage levels and make lifestyle changes like cutting saturated fat intake, eating a healthy diet, and regular exercise to get your cholesterol numbers to normal levels.

Follow A Healthy Diet

Eat a heart-healthy diet that is rich in fresh fruit and vegetables – especially leafy greens, fibre, whole grains, healthy fats, lean protein, fish, nuts, and seeds. Cut your alcohol consumption and avoid the intake of processed foods, saturated fat, sugar, and salt.

Lower Your Blood Pressure

Sustained high blood pressure can cause arteries to stiffen and lose their elasticity, raising your risk of heart attack. This effect on your arteries coupled with plaque buildup also raises your risk of stroke. Quitting smoking and cutting out alcohol can help reduce your BP. Exercise, weight loss (if overweight), and reducing salt intake will also help.

The Genetic Link To Heart Disease

Besides lifestyle factors, your genes have a significant role to play in your risk of developing coronary artery disease (CAD). As one 30-year-old man from Bangalore discovered the hard way, genetic screening could have been an early indicator of his elevated risk of CAD. Unfortunately for him, his heart attack came with no warning, and he needed emergency bypass surgery. His siblings then got genetic screening tests done and found that the younger brother also has a similar high genetic risk. With genetic counseling, the family was able to work out a long-term plan that included managing lifestyle factors, regular screening, and check-ups to lower the risk of an adverse event.

Genetic tests are based on the latest genetic testing technology and check for 6 million+ genome-wide genetic markers since there are multiple genes implicated in the development of CAD. Kardiogen from MedGenome, one such genetic screening test, is based on your Polygenic Risk Score and accurately identifies high-risk individuals about 90% of the time (<45 years category) and 75% of the time (across ages).

Genetic screening tests like the one offered by MedGenome a highly accurate spit-based or blood tests and can be done at your doorstep. As a one-time test, the results are valid for a lifetime and do not need to be repeated. This year, take charge of your heart health, skip the suspense on your heart disease, and be sure to arm yourself with all the knowledge that the latest genetic technology offers so that you can live a healthier longer life.