How can you prevent cardiovascular events?

1. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death Cardiovascular diseases are diseases caused by disorders of the heart and blood vessels. Currently, worldwide, cardiovascular diseases affect the majority of people over 60 years of age. In recent years, according to reports from prestigious organizations around the world, cardiovascular disease is affecting more and more people and affecting people at a younger age. In 2012 and 2013, globally, it was estimated that cardiovascular disease resulted in 17.3 million deaths. In 2019, in the US, 48% of adults ≥20 years of age had cardiovascular diseases including coronary heart disease, heart failure, stroke, and hypertension. In Vietnam, according to statistics, cardiovascular disease was the cause of 31% of all deaths in 2016, equivalent to more than 170,000 people.
Common cardiovascular events include: coronary artery disease (with myocardial infarction, angina, acute heart failure, and death from coronary heart disease); cerebrovascular disease (with manifestations of stroke or transient ischemic attack); peripheral artery disease (presents as claudication) and aortic disease (presents as aneurysm or dissection in the thoracic or abdominal aorta).
Major modifiable cardiovascular risk factors that lead to cardiovascular disease or cardiovascular events include: dyslipidemia (especially high LDL-cholesterol), high blood pressure, diabetes sugar, smoking, obesity and a sedentary lifestyle.

2. How to prevent cardiovascular disease and cardiovascular events? To prevent cardiovascular disease and cardiovascular events, the simplest thing is that we can follow a healthy diet, exercise regularly, quit smoking, avoid excessive use. wine. At the same time, control blood pressure, blood fat, blood sugar and maintain optimal weight. Specifically:
2.1. A healthy diet is recommended as one that includes a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, beans, low-fat meats like fish, and nuts. poultry, low-fat milk and olive oil. Besides, you should avoid meat, processed foods, sweets, sugary drinks. Avoid foods containing trans-fat and limit saturated fat, because these are harmful fats for the body. Common trans-fat-containing foods include: fast food, cakes, cookies, donuts, margarine... Foods containing saturated fat include: foods such as whole milk, cheese apricot, cream, red meat. Salt should be limited to about 1 teaspoon a day (5g/day, equivalent to 2.4g of sodium).
2.2. Tobacco and Alcohol Tobacco is one of the major causes of cardiovascular diseases. Approximately 30% of adult cardiovascular deaths are related to smoking or indirect exposure to secondhand smoke. The mortality rate among smokers is three times higher than that of never-smokers. Cardiovascular risk begins to decrease after about 1 year of smoking cessation and returns to the same level as a non-smoker 10 years after stopping smoking. The risk of stroke returns to the same level as a non-smoker just 2-5 years after stopping smoking.
Should limit alcohol, avoid excessive use. In particular, in people with other pre-existing cardiovascular risk factors, each person should consume no more than 1 unit of alcohol a day for women and 2 units of alcohol a day for men. One unit of alcohol is equivalent to 360ml of beer or 5o drinks, 150ml of 12o drinks, 45ml of 40o drinks or spirits.

2.3. Weight loss and exercise In recent decades, the body mass index (BMI) of both children, adolescents and adults has increased worldwide. High BMI and large waist circumference are associated with cardiovascular risk and mortality in both young and older adults, regardless of sex. Vietnamese people should maintain a BMI of 18.5-22.9 kg/m2. Waist circumference should not exceed 80cm in women and 94cm in men. Obesity not only increases cardiovascular risk but also burdens many other metabolic, endocrine, musculoskeletal diseases.
A sedentary lifestyle is becoming more and more popular in all ages and has become one of the cumulative factors that contribute to obesity and metabolic cardiovascular diseases. According to the guidelines of prestigious organizations in the world, to reduce cardiovascular risk, each person should maintain an average exercise regimen of about 150 minutes/week or an active exercise regimen of 135 minutes/week. . Suggested moderate-level physical activity such as walking at a speed of 6.5km/h, cycling at a speed of 15km/h, exercising in the water, playing basketball, volleyball, etc. Housework requires exercise like gardening. Suggested active level of physical activity such as brisk walking, running, playing singles tennis, cycling at a speed >15km/h...You can get expert help to assess your level of fitness. campaign for yourself. If you can't maintain a similar exercise regimen, you should try to be as active as you can.
2.4. Control blood pressure, blood fat, blood sugar If you have problems with blood pressure, dyslipidemia or diabetes, you need to be closely controlled by your doctor. You need to adhere to a healthy diet and exercise regimen. Do not arbitrarily stop taking, increase or decrease the dose without consulting your doctor. You need to follow-up by appointment or periodically and assess your overall cardiovascular risk to get advice on optimal supportive measures.
If there are no special problems, usually your blood pressure should drop below 140/90 mmHg initially. Thereafter, systolic blood pressure should be maintained at 120-130 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure should be maintained at less than 80 mmHg. The average 3-month glycemic index HbA1C should be below 7%. Depending on your cardiovascular risk assessment, your doctor will consider your fat-lowering goals to ensure both a protective effect and a safety for you.

2.5. Medicines and preparations to help prevent the risk of cardiovascular events Do not arbitrarily buy drugs or functional foods to prevent cardiovascular disease. You should see your doctor to discuss and advise you about your specific cardiovascular risk and appropriate prevention measures. Omega 3 exists in many preparations and functional foods on the market. These products may be beneficial for the prevention of recurrent cardiovascular events in certain circumstances at appropriate doses. There is currently no evidence that taking omega 3 can help prevent first-time cardiovascular events.
In some cases, your doctor may prescribe you statins to prevent cardiovascular events. These drugs not only reduce blood lipids, but have also been shown to reduce the risk of cardiovascular events such as myocardial infarction, stroke or cardiovascular death. Therefore, when prescribed and advised for long-term use, you should not arbitrarily stop taking the drug, even if your blood fat returns to normal.
2.6. Avoid recurrence of cardiovascular events If you have had the misfortune of experiencing a cardiovascular event such as a heart attack or stroke, it is important to adhere to your medications and have regular check-ups, as well as follow a good regimen. Eat healthy, quit smoking and do appropriate exercise. All of which will help you reduce your risk of having a heart attack next time. Do not arbitrarily quit prescribed medication even if your body is completely normal.
Hopefully, through the above article, it has helped you understand about cardiovascular disease to have a way to prevent, build a suitable diet and exercise, avoid dangerous complications.