Don't get Heart Sick

The heart can be a time bomb waiting to explode if you are not careful.

TIME bombs: they’re pretty harmless until they detonate. Problem is, you never know when they’re going to explode and when they do, it’s deadly.

You may not know it, but you could have a time bomb ticking away inside you even as you’re reading this article. That time bomb is heart disease and it’s no joking matter.

Tick, tick, tick

You’ve probably heard of heart disease, ad nauseam. After all, it’s been the No. 1 killer in Malaysia for the past 26 years. But do you know how it really starts in the body?

According to consultant cardiologist, Datuk Dr Khoo Kah Lin, a major cause of this is atherosclerosis. “Atherosclerosis is a process where cholesterol and other substances build up inside the walls of your blood vessels, and form plaque.

“Sometimes, so much plaque can form in a blood vessel that they narrow the space inside, and restrict blood flow. When this happens in the arteries supplying blood to your heart, you will wind up with chest pain, breathlessness and fatigue.

“As if this isn’t bad enough, plaque is brittle and can easily rupture, forming a blood clot that can totally block all blood flow. If blood flow to your heart is blocked, you will have a heart attack; if it’s to your brain, you will suffer a stroke.”

Like many people, you probably don’t know if your blood vessels are healthy or otherwise. You may seem healthy on the outside, but inside, your blood vessels could be slowly clogging up.

The thing with heart attacks and strokes is, you can never know when they’re going to happen ? or can you?

“One simple way is to know your cholesterol level,” advises Datuk Dr Khoo. “It can reveal your risk of heart disease.”

You have two main types of cholesterol: ‘bad’ cholesterol (LDL) and ‘good’ cholesterol (HDL). Remember atherosclerosis? LDL is the real culprit. Over time, LDL becomes toxic and penetrates the lining of your blood vessels to form plaque. HDL is important as the more you have, it cleans up the LDL and reduces your risk of artherosclerosis.

There are three reasons why people develop high levels of LDL and low levels of HDL.

1. Smoking

Are you a smoker? Not only does smoking damage your arteries, it also increases your cholesterol. All this makes you twice as likely to suffer a heart attack compared to a non-smoker.

2. Messed up by stress

Do you lead a stressful lifestyle? If you do, you should know that stress affects you in many ways. For one thing, it can mess up your diet, leading you to become careless with your food choices and eating habits. Poor eating habits contribute to high cholesterol.

3. Too fat to function healthily

Being overweight or obese wreaks havoc on your metabolic function. You wind up with high blood cholesterol, high blood glucose and high blood pressure, which result in coronary heart disease, diabetes and hypertension respectively.

The most troubling thing is, this is a three-for-one deal: if you have one, you will develop the other two. And the scariest part? Most people with these diseases will die from a heart attack or stroke.

Defusing the time bomb

Naturally, your next question now is, “So can I defuse this time bomb that’s ticking inside me? What can I do?”

1. Practise healthy eating habits

Eat a well-balanced diet, have regular mealtimes every day and avoid over-eating.

2. Cut down on fats of all kinds

However, some fats are healthier than others. Avoid saturated fats and trans fatty acids. If you must take fats, opt for unsaturated fats.

3. Get heart-healthy fibre

A combination of 5 different plant fibres like Guar Gum, Gum arabic, Locust bean gum, pectin, & oat fibre (beta glucan), have shown to be effective in lowering LDL and raising HDL within 60 days.

Everyone is recommended to eat 25-30 grams of dietary fibre daily. This can come from fruits and vegetables, grains and cereals. However, not all fibres are created equal.

So, if you have normal cholesterol levels, eating BiosLife will help ensure that your heart stays healthy. If your cholesterol is on the high side, Bioslife can bring your cholesterol back to healthy levels. And if you do have a cholesterol problem and are on statin drugs, adding Bioslife will bring your levels down even further, so you can gradually reduce your drugs.

Bioslife is a low-fat source of energy, and takes longer to digest, meaning that you stay full for a longer period of time and won’t succumb to over-eating.

Bioslife is for everyone. It's a 100% natural delicious orange flavoured health drink. You'll love the taste

4. Get off that couch and get moving

Moderate exercise for 30 minutes on most days of the week (or, better yet, every day) reduces cholesterol and helps you maintain a healthy body weight. Try aerobic exercises. They’re great for strengthening the heart. After all, your heart is a muscle and it loves to get pumping! For dedicated couch potatoes, start off with brisk walking. It’s safe, easy and will make a world of difference.

5. Make a date with your doctor

Finally, pencil your doctor’s appointment into your calendar. A cholesterol test every 6 months will put you on the right track with a healthy heart.

Values your heart will love:

Total cholesterol: < 5.2 mmol/L
“Bad” cholesterol (LDL): < 3.3 mmol/L
Good cholesterol (HDL): > 1.02 mmol/L for men; > 1.3 mmol/L for women
Body mass index (BMI): between 18.5 and 25
Waist circumference: < 40 inches for men; less than 35 inches for women
Blood glucose: 3.8 - 6.1 mmol/L before meals; < 7.8 mmol/L two hours after meals
Blood pressure: < 130/80 mmHg