Have a (healthy) heart!

Did you know that:

• • Between 1997 and 2004, 195 people died per day in South Africa because of some form of heart and blood vessel disease?

• • About 33 people die per day because of a heart attack, while about 60 die per day because of stroke?

• • About 37 people die per day because of heart failure?

• • For every woman that dies of a heart attack, two men die?

• • More than half the deaths caused by chronic diseases, including heart disease, occur before the age of 65 years? These are premature deaths which affect the workforce and have a major impact on the economy of the country

The bad news is that heart disease is increasing among South Africans. But the good news is that there is a lot we can do to lessen our risk of heart disease.

Know the risks

Owing to extensive research done in the past, it is known that heart disease is caused mainly by these factors:

• • High cholesterol

• • High blood pressure (hypertension)

• • Smoking

• • Obesity and being overweight

• • Stress

Other factors that also increase one’s risk of heart disease are age, gender and if one has diabetes.

Prevention

Heart specialists say that the effective prevention of heart disease should start early in life and should continue throughout a person’s life. While we can’t do anything about our age or gender, we can certainly try to ward off the other risk factors.

High cholesterol

There are two types of cholesterol, namely low-density (known as “bad”) cholesterol (LDL) and high-density (also known as “good”) cholesterol (HDL).

How to decrease your LDL levels?

• • Lose weight. Even 5 or 10% weight loss can lower your LDL

• • Foods that are low in saturated fat and high in soluble fibre are helpful in lowering LDL. Weight loss and diet can account for up to a 20% reduction in LDL levels.

• • Get moving. Aerobic exercises (running, cycling, jogging and swimming) appear to benefit cholesterol the most by lowering LDL by 5% to 10%

• • Stop smoking. This can lower LDL levels with about 5% as soon as you stop smoking.

High blood pressure

High blood pressure (hypertension) increases the risk for heart disease and stroke. Although the exact causes of high blood pressure is not known, various factors are associated with high blood pressure. They include:

• • Drinking more than two alcohol drinks a day for men or more than one alcohol drink a day for women

• • Eating a lot of sodium (salt)

• • Being overweight or obese

• • Having high cholesterol

• • Being sedentary, that is not exercising

• • Being under a lot of stress

• • Eating a diet low in potassium, magnesium, and calcium

Experts tell us that to prevent high blood pressure we should:

• • Lose weight

• • Reduce the quantity of salt we eat to no more than one teaspoon per day

• • Exercise for at least 30 minutes a day on most days of the week

• • Limit alcohol use

• • Eat a healthy diet containing a lot of fruit, vegetables and low-fat dairy products, with reduced saturated and total fats. This diet should contain 3500 mg of potassium (bananas and potatoes are good sources).

Smoking

Someone who smokes increases his or her risk of heart disease by up to three times! It’s never too late to stop smoking. By stopping, or even by cutting down, you can reduce the risk of heart disease almost immediately.

Overweight and obesity

Being overweight and obesity is caused by consuming more kilojoules than the body needs, while simultaneously doing insufficient physical exercise to burn the extra kilojoules. Control your weight by:

• • Exercising regularly, that is, do at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity on most days of the week, either in a single session or in three sessions, each lasting at least 10 minutes at a time. Choose a type of activity that you like, perhaps walking briskly, swimming or dancing (Remember that if you have not exercised for some time or are in ill health, you should speak to your doctor before embarking on any exercise routine)

• • Following a healthy diet consisting of lots of fresh fruits and vegetables and low-fat or fat-free foods

• • Understanding and managing the underlying emotional and cultural factors that contribute to overeating.

Stress

Although the link between stress and heart disease is not clear at this stage, it is known that people having a first heart attack had been under high general stress or depression before the attack. To control stress, you have to relax your body and your mind.

Try some of these ways:

• • Make time to do the things you like

• • Talk about your feelings

• • Meditate

• • Exercise regularly

• • Do relaxation techniques, for example breathing and muscle relaxation exercises

• • Take regular breaks from stressful situations

Help your heart

By living a healthy lifestyle which includes regular exercise, a healthy diet, stress control exercises and not smoking or drinking excessively, you will protect your heart and add years to your life.

Our Employee Wellbeing Programme (EWP) is available 24 hours a day if you want to know more about a healthy heart.