1. Healthy
Heart Guide

2. Introduction:
Heart diseases are increasing worldwide being leading cause of death.
Also know as cardiovascular disorder involves problems like stroke,
heart attack, hypertension, peripheral arterial disease etc. WHO
suggests cardiovascular diseases are leading cause of death
worldwide. Data suggests 17.3 million people died due to
cardiovascular diseases in 2008. While by 2-3- almost 23.6 million
people will die due to heart diseases. It will mainly include heart
attack and stroke.
Experts suggest unhealthy eating patter and lifestyle is the major
cause of non-communicable diseases such as cancer, diabetes and
cardiovascular disease. Young adults need to adopt healthy lifestyle
and lead disease free life. Lifestyle modification helps in reducing the
risk for diseases such as heart diseases and delays the onset of the
condition.
This “Heart Health Quick Guide” will give you insight to the causes of
cardiovascular diseases; which all control measures can be applied in
daily life to prevent the condition and dietary requirements. Ayurveda
is our ancient science reveals secrets for healthy heart. Get more to
know about keeping your heart Healthy and Happy!
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3. FACTORS CAUSING HEART DISEASE
There are several factors that cause heart disease. Few of them are
modifiable or controllable and few are non-modifiable or
uncontrollable. Non modifiable factors cannot be changed. We need to
lead our life with the fact, but modifiable factors can be controlled to
lead healthy heart!
Non-Modifiable causes:
1. Age: More than 83% of people dying from heart disease are 65
or older.
2. Sex: Men have a greater risk of heart attack than women.
Though the risk of heart disease in women increases after
menopause.
3. Family history: History of parents or close relatives having heart
diseases increases the risk.
4. Race: The risk is higher among African Americans, Mexican
Americans, and American Indians etc.
Modifiable Causes: These factors are more important. Pay attention
to them and adopt them in your lifestyle modification routine.
1. Smoking: Smoking is the major risk factor for heart disease.
Carbon monoxide (from the smoke) and nicotine both put a strain
on the heart by making it work faster. They also increase the risk of
blood clot. Other chemicals in cigarette smoke damage the lining of
your coronary arteries leading to furring of arteries. Smoking
increases the risk of heart disease by 24%
2. Cholesterol: Cholesterol is the fat made by the liver from the
saturated fat that we eat. Cholesterol is essential for healthy cells
but if there is too much in the blood it can lead to coronary heart
disease. Cholesterol is carried in the blood stream by lipoproteins.

4. Lipoproteins are mainly of 2 types:
a. LDL-Low Density Lipoproteins
a. HDL- High Density Lipoproteins
LDL is termed as “bad cholesterol”. It tends to build up on arterial walls
increasing the risk of heart disease.
HDL is termed as “good cholesterol”. It carries cholesterol away from
heart.
3. High Blood Pressure: (Hypertension) IT strains the heart leading to
coronary heart disease. It leads your heart to thicken and become
stiffer. It increases the risk of stroke, heart attack, kidney failure
and congestive heart failure. When high blood pressure exists
along with other risk factors the chances of stroke increases with
many folds.
4. Physical Inactivity: Sedentary lifestyle increases the risk for any
heart disease. It is a vicious cycle, if you are not active you will gain
wait. Increased weight will put more pressure on your heart, which
asks heart to work more. So getting active throughout the day is
very important.
5. Obesity: People having excess body fat especially if it is around the
waist have higher risk of coronary heart disease. A person is
considered obese when his or her weight is 20% or more above
normal weight. The most common measure of obesity is BMI(Body
Mass Index)
6. Diabetes: About 3 quarter people with diabetes die from some form
of heart or blood vessel disease.
7. High CRP: (C-reactive protein): The body produces CRP during the
process of inflammation. It is correlated with heart disease.
Inflammation of arteries has been linked with increase risk of heart
disease. CRP is the marker of inflammation, meaning its presence
indicates an increase inflammation in the body.
8. Uncontrolled stress: Stress in normal part of life, but if left
unattended can lead to emotional, psychological and even physical
problems including coronary artery disease, high blood pressure
and chest pain etc. v v v

5. CONTROL MEASURES FOR HEART DISEASES
You can prevent as well as control coronary heart disease with simple
lifestyle changes and proper medications. Lifestyle changes eg diet
modification, exercise, stress management, smoking and
medications for controlling blood sugar, blood pressure and
cholesterol levels are used. If sever plaque is developed then
treatment may involve catheter based interventions.
Lifestyle changes can be as listed below;
DIET:
ü a heart healthy diet is good for the heart patient as well as
Following
the whole family.
ü to be nutritionally balanced, rich in fiber, low in fat and
Diet has
moderate low in salt.
ü of vegetables , choose lean meat.
Have a lot
ülow fat or fat free dairy products.
Choose
ü Avoid foods that are been processed with sodium.
ü Enjoy some fresh fruit everyday.
ü advice of your doctor or dietitian.
Follow the
ALCOHOL:
ü Avoid alcohol as much as possible.
ü If you choose to drink then have only 1 drink for women and 2
drinks for men per day.
ü means 12 ounce beer, 4 ounce wine.
Each drink
ühas a lot of calories so they tend to increase the triglyceride
Alcohol
levels.
EXERCISE:
ü your physical activity is the best way to reduce the risk as
Increasing
well as control coronary heart disease.
ü will help you reduce weight and prevent Type2 diabetes.
Exercise
ü 30-60 minutes of exercise daily you should aim at.

6. SMOKING:
Cigarette not only affects the lungs but also affects the heart and the
blood vessels increasing the risk for heart disease as well as stroke.
BODY WEIGHT:
l is not only a major risk for heart disease but also important
Obesity
for insulin resistance too.
l It increases the blood pressure too.
l weight will not improve your heart health as well as
Reducing
decrease the chances of stroke too.
MEDICATIONS:
BLOOD PRESSURE:
Anybody having blood pressure should be treated with medications.
For people having diabetes doctors usually prefer ACE inhibitors. These
medicines not only reduce your blood pressure but also protect your
heart and kidneys.
If required it may be combination of drugs like thiazide diuretics, beta
blockers, calcium channel blockers etc.
CHOLESTEROL LOWERING MEDICATIONS:
Statins may be prescribed if LDL levels are high.
If triglycerides are on the higher side then niacin or fibrate is
prescribed.
ASPIRIN:
Low dose of Aspirin (75-162mg/day) is given to people already having
coronary heart disease.
But for those who want to prevent the heart disease aspirin doesn't
play any important role.
Combination of proper medication and lifestyle changes will help you

7. Ayurveda & Heart:
Ayurveda is defined as science of life. Ayu – Life ( Ayu is combination of
four things – mind , body , soul / spirit & sense.Veda – Science.
According to Ayurveda Heart is home of “Ataman” eternal soul, “ojas”
& mind. Heart is the most vital organ & the person as old as her/ his
heart according to Ayurveda. It contains 8 drops of “Ojas” which gives
life , longetivity, bliss & overall immunity.
Ayurvedic healers recognized many years ago what modern science
today- that eating fatty food in excess ( fatty foods do not get digested
completely & create “ama” or toxins in the system) & too much stress
are prime factors that lead to heart damage. Chest pain, angina is
caused by “Kapha dosh”. Accumulated” kapha” blocks the flow of
“prana” into the coronary artery, so that heart muscle does not receive
sufficient blood & oxygen supply.
According to Ayurveda perspective, while discussing heart health, two
equally important aspects that need to be taken into account
Physical Aspects – physical aspects of organ that pumps blood
Emotional Aspect – that experience every human emotion from joy to
sorrow.
Ayurvedic recommendation for Healthy Heart:
1. “Ahar “( Diet)- You can make your diet more heart healthy by eating
lots of fresh fruits, whole grains , vegetables, dressing your veggies
with fresh lime juice & using lime juice & by using heart friendly
spices like black pepper, anti oxidant spice turmeric. Choose fresh
& light foods over processed foods & rich foods.
2. “Vihar” ( Exercise & Physical activity)- 30 min walk not only help
your heart , it will prepare you for the day charging up your
metabolism & circulation.

8. 1. Rest- Our bodies can only rejuvenates when we give them time
to rest. We need time for ourselves, time for simply do nothing.
4. Yoga & Meditation – Meditation & yoga contribute immensely in
offsetting heart disease. Thus, owing to its many positive effect
– direct & indirect on the cardiovascular system, yoga assumes a
pivotal role in heart care.
5. “Panchakrama”- Panchkarma removes all “ama” or toxins from
your body. It cleanses & nourishes the body, mind, soul on
physical, mental & many levels.
6. Herbs – Ayurveda is famous for its safe & highly effective herbal
medicines. Herbs like arjuna, tulsi, ginger, guggul, bramhi &
many mores helps to prevent & heal the heart disease.
Ayurveada believes in prevention & holistic approach to healing.
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9. Eating for Healthy Heart!
Heart is an important organ of human body. Healthy heart ensures well
being for an individual. Recent studies by Indian government found
that cardiovascular diseases are the first reason for deaths in India. It
not only covers urban population but also the rural population. They
say 18% adults die due to cardiovascular diseases. Life style and
changing eating pattern is the leading cause of heart diseases. How
your diet can help you in delaying the onset of heart disease or prevent
it?
Important nutrient for heart health: fats and oils
It is well known that limited intake of fats and oils are recommended
for heart patients. But to prevent them your selection of fats and oils
matters a lot. There is buzz about heart healthy fat, low absorbent
cooking oil etc. Which one do you select? One must go for blend of oils
throughout the month. You can refer to following table to select your
cooking oil for different purpose:
Cooking Method Oils
Deep frying, Searing, browning Almond oil, avocado oil, hazel nut oil,
sunflower oil, refined olive oil etc.
Baking, over cooking or stirred frying Canola oil, Grape seed oil, extra virgin
oil and Peanut oil
Sauteing, making sauces Corn oil, Pumpkin seed oil, Soybean oil,
and low heat oven cooking Sesame oil and coconut oil.
Dressing, dips and marinating
(not suitable for high temperature cooking) Flax seed oil
Know about types of fatty acids present in your cooking oil !
There are three different types of fatty acids: saturated fatty acids,
monounsaturated fatty acids, polyunsaturated fatty acids. Besides
these Trans fatty acids are discussed more frequently. They are
produced during the processing of fats. Saturated fatty acids need to
be restricted in diet. They are present in meat, full fat milk and milk
products, fish etc. Total consumption of saturated fatty acids should
not be more than 7% of your total fat calories.

10. Including olives, avocado, and canola in diet ensures intake of
monounsaturated fatty acids. They are heart healthy cooking oils.
Whereas omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids are part of polyunsaturated
fatty acods have many health benefits. To ensure you get their benefits
include walnuts, flax seeds, fish, and almonds in daily diet.
Relation between simple carbs and heart diseases!
Simple carbohydrates coming from white rice, white bread, sugar,
desserts etc needs to be restricted for diabetic and obese patients. This
nutrient also ahs correlation between heart diseases and health. More
the simple carbs you consume, it increases the risk for increased
triglyceride levels, total cholesterol. These factors are closely
associated with the heart health. So simple message comes here is
“Include more of whole grains in daily diet to prevent heart disease”. It
will help you in controlling weight and thus have positive effect on heart
health.
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