Your Heart - A True Workaholic!

Article written by Daniel Healy.

Let’s say you were sick. After your visit to the doctor you read his prescription which was as puzzling as it was daunting...

“Throw a tennis ball from New York to London 1803468 times a day for the rest of your life!”

Yet, this is how hard the heart must work every single day just to keep you alive and kicking. How did I come to this figure? Well, the combined total length of our arteries, veins and capillaries is estimated to be around 60,000 miles.⁵ The heart beats an average of 104,000 times per day.⁵ Taking into account the distance from New York to London (roughly 3460 miles) this works out to be a lot of tennis balls and a very sore arm!

The heart is the very industrious General Manager of one of God’s finer pieces of engineering: The Systemic system. This is comprised of Red Blood Vessels, The Heart, Lungs, Arteries, Arterioles, Veins and Capillaries.⁶ (The Circulatory system also includes our Lymphatic system, however this is beyond the scope of this article so I have limited it to the Systemic system)

The heart has a group of arteries and veins (A & Vs) that are like couriers that carry blood containing oxygen (oxygenated blood) and vital nutrients to all parts of the body as well as collects de – oxygenated blood from the body and transports it to be re-oxygenated.³ In fact some of these A & Vs are propelled from the heart to the loading station, the lungs, which loads up the red blood cells with oxygen ready to be delivered to the entire body. From the lungs our oxygenated blood is taken back to the heart where it is propelled along the arteries to it’s destination. Our arteries are like large highways which lead onto arterioles, smaller roads, and finally onto capillaries, which are more like local roads, that lead directly to the cells of our body that require their cargo (oxygenated blood) the most. When the red blood cells have dumped their oxygen in the cells, they pick up waste products and jump back onto a vein that helps transport them back to the heart and lungs where they can fill up on oxygen and make the trip again.³ Quite a journey!

February is American Heart Month, which should be a great time for us to stand up and applaud the outstanding efforts our hearts make on a daily basis. But on a daily basis, actually, on a ‘by the minute’ basis we are doing exactly the opposite. It is estimated that every minute one American dies from a coronary heart attack. In fact, heart disease is the leading cause of death in America with coronary heart disease being the most common type.¹ The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that this year around 785000 Americans will have a new coronary attack and about 470000 a recurrent one.¹ Scary statistics indeed!

Heart disease can be debilitating and affect not only our lives but that of the people closest to us. So having a healthy heart should be listed high in our priority list! But just how do you keep your ticker in shape? You know it...Eat healthy and exercise right!

Here’s some tips to get you started:

Reduce Saturated and Trans fat intake – Do this by choosing lean meats, trimming fat or removing skin of meat, choosing reduced fat or fat free dairy products and limiting junk, processed or take – away foods.¹
Eat more Oily Fish – Such as mackerel, sardines, fresh tuna and salmon as these are a good source of omega 3 fatty acids.⁴ Several studies have demonstrated possible positive benefits on heart disease risk factors and outcomes as a result of inclusion of this fat in your diet.⁴ Although further research is needed, some heart health articles state that this type may lower cholesterol, improve blood vessel elasticity and thins the blood, making it less likely to clot and block blood flow.²
Eat more Fruit and Vegetables – Although further research is needed, antioxidants in fruit and vegetables may offer protection against heart disease.² Fruit and vegetables are also important sources of fiber, vitamins and minerals including folate – a vitamin which helps lower the blood levels of the amino acid homocysteine, which appears to be linked to an increased risk of heart disease.²
Eat some Nuts and Needs – Nuts and seeds contain a variety of nutrients but are especially in good fats! This type of fat can help protect against heart disease. ⁵So it’s a good idea to include them in your diet but note, although extremely healthy, they should be eaten in small quantities, as they are still high in kilojoules.² The best options to choose are raw fresh nuts and seeds.
Alcohol – Drinking a moderate amount of alcohol (no more than two drinks per day for men or one drink per day for women) is associated with reduced risk of heart disease in men over the age of 40 and women over the age of 50.² Some types of alcohol, such as red wine, may even contain other protective factors such as antioxidants although this is still being researched.² However, this doesn’t give you a license to go overboard because a high intake of alcohol increases blood pressure and also tends to increase triglycerides (a type of fat) in the blood which may increase the risk of heart disease.²
Food Portion Sizes - Be mindful of the portion sizes of meals and snacks. ¹ Our eyes can be bigger than our stomachs sometimes and it can be easy to over eat especially when it comes to foods that are high in fat or sugar. Try serving small portions or ordering smaller serves when eating out. And only have more if you are absolutely still hungry!
Salt Awareness - Choose and prepare foods with little or no salt.¹ Try using herbs, spices, lemon juice or just enjoying the natural flavour of foods. Aim to eat less than 2,300 mg of sodium per day or less than 1,500 mg if you are in a higher risk group for high blood pressure.¹ More information on salt in our article on salt awareness.
Exercise – Try and pick an exercise that you enjoy and do it at a time that suits you.² Make that part of your routine and a must do on the chosen days. If you’re not a morning person do it at lunch time or in the afternoon. Begin small and gradually increase the amount you do each session until you reach around 30 minutes.² Try not to focus too much on the intensity or even your weight loss goal, rather, use it as an opportunity to think about things that are important to you - your friends, family, work, whatever requires your attention and is meaningful to you.

So we can see that your heart is a true workaholic, tirelessly striving to keep you alive and healthy. So why not try and make it’s day a little easier be leading a healthy lifestyle!

References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, February 2009. February is American Heart Month [Online]. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/DHDSP/announcements/american_heart_month.htm [accessed 11th February 2009].
Deakin University – Better Health Channel, December 2008. Heart explained [Online]. Available at http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Heart_explained?open [accessed 13th February 2009].
Deakin University – Better Health Channel, July 2007. Heart Disease and Food [Online]. Available at http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Heart_disease_and_food?OpenDocument [accessed 11th February 2009].
Kandasamy, Narayanan et al, 2008. The Role of Omega-3 Fatty Acids in Cardiovascular Disease, Hypertriglyceridaemia and Diabetes Mellitus. Br J Diabetes Vasc Dis. [Online] 8(3) p. 121-128. Available at
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/576628_print [accessed 13th February 2009].
Nemours Foundation, July 2007. Heart and Circulatory System [Online]. Available at http://kidshealth.org/parent/general/body_basics/heart.html [accessed 11th February 2009].
Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia, February 2009. Heart [Online]. Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heart [accessed 11th February 2009].

Last updated 17 June 2009