Heart disease has claimed the lives of countless men, and also women and for that reason, I want to highlight some ways to guard and protect your heart to keep it healthy and strong. After all, there are a lot of things you guys can do to strengthen your heart and lower your risk of heart disease. If you’re not familiar with these important facts, read this now to start reducing your chance of becoming another statistic.
How Does Heart Disease Affect Men?
I have some facts that will open your eyes quickly.
- In 2021, heart disease killed 384,886 men in the United States, meaning it caused approximately 1 in every 4 male deaths.
- Men across various racial and ethnic groups, including African Americans, American Indians or Alaska Natives, Hispanics, and whites, experience heart disease as their leading cause of death.
- For Asian American or Pacific Islander men, heart disease ranks second only to cancer.
- Notably, half of the men who experienced sudden coronary heart disease-related deaths had no prior symptoms. This should put a big flashing light on the importance of being proactive in reducing your risk!
And that leads me to the next point…
How Do You Prevent Heart Disease?
There are several things you should start doing immediately to prevent heart disease.
- Quit smoking. This is the most important and immediate change because it will significantly lower your risk for heart disease. In 2021, approximately 11.5% of adults aged 18 years or older were cigarette smokers. That’s 28.3 million people!
- Control your blood pressure. You can do this by maintaining a healthy lifestyle and considering medication if needed. Manage your diabetes if you have it. The secrets to this are staying active, controlling your weight, and managing blood pressure. Sugar of any kind is NOT a friend of a healthy heart.
- Eat healthy, turning your sights on fresh, nutrient dense foods that contain good fats and add more fresh fruits and vegetable, which contain higher fiber. It’s also important to change your salt to sea salt and don’t take too much. Eliminate pre- packaged foods and fast foods as they contain high amounts of salt. New information is coming out on saturated fats and heart health. If you eat meat, then animal fats are being shown to be beneficial. Westin A. Price Foundation has been talking about healthy animal fats for years. So some fats are healthy, and it is the fried foods you need to keep away from for a healthy heart.
- Stay active, whether that’s heading into the gym, picking up a sport, or even just going for walks. It is important to keep moving to pump more oxygenated blood through your heart.
- Maintain your weight. If you don’t know what the right range is, talk to your doctor. He or she will give you the right number based on your height. Limit how much alcohol you drink. Excessive drinking puts you in the crosshairs of all sorts of potential disasters, and heart disease is one of them.
Why is Heart Disease More Common in Males?
Men are more prone to heart attacks than women. Here’s why.
- Women are protected by estrogen and progesterone until menopause.
- Men’s larger hearts and vessels can lead to cholesterol buildup in major arteries, while women often experience it in smaller vessels.
- Excess belly fat can cause heart disease, and men tend to accumulate fat in their bellies, while women carry it around their abdomens and pelvises.
- Chronic stress raises blood pressure and restricts heart blood flow. Studies have revealed differences in how men and women cope with stress. In general, women internalize and men externalize their stress, sometimes through aggression. After an angry outburst, the risk of a heart attack increases by five times.
So men, guard and protect your heart as you only have one and you cannot function well with a “broken” heart.