Men’s Health Week begins on Monday June 15th this year and in observance we are beginning a three week series of posts on men’s health issues. The first in the series is on the leading cause of death in men, heart disease.
 

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Heart Disease is the leading cause of death in men in the United States, killing 307,225 men in 2009—that’s 1 in every 4 male deaths [1]. Between 70% and 89% of sudden cardiac events occur in men [2]. The average age for death due to this disease is UNDER 65. These facts are chilling but there are ways for men to work hard at reducing your risk of heart disease.  Women concerned with reducing their risk of heart disease should check out what they should do. Heart disease includes a number of conditions affecting the structures or function of the heart. When we’re done with this post, you’ll know about different heart conditions, the difference between modifiable and non modifiable risk factors and what exercise and dietary changes can do to help you.

 

Understanding The Difference

 
Not all heart conditions are the same. Here’s the difference (6).

     

  1. Coronary Artery Disease can also be called Degenerative Heart Disease and Coronary Heart Disease which is the narrowing and hardening of the arteries leading to the heart.  The arteries are vital for providing oxygen and nutrients to the heart. Coronary artery disease causes about 1.2 million heart attacks per year.
  2. Angina Pectoris is a temporary (lasts 1-3 minutes) but painful condition representing inadequate blood flow.  The pain appears in the chest as a sensation of burning, squeezing or choking and sometimes is confused with heart burn.
  3. Myocardial Infarction is a heart attack.  A blood clot formed from plaque accumulation in the arteries blocks blood flow in the heart.
  4. Congestive Heart failure, when the heart does not pump as well as it should. Heart failure affects almost 5 million Americans and is the leading cause of hospitalization in people older than 65.
  5. Heart Valve Disease relates to abnormalities that can cause a narrowing preventing the valve to open (stenosis), the valve improperly opens and blood moves back into the heart (insufficiency) or enlarged valves bulge backward (prolapse).
  6. Dysrhythmias are abnormalities with the heart’s electrical conduction system.

 

Modifiable vs Non-Modifiable

 
There are several risk factors for heart disease in men. Some are uncontrollable and others are. For a comprehensive explanation of all these risk factors check out our previous post.
 
You don’t have control over:

     

  • Being a male
  • Age
  • Race
  • Family history

 

But you do have control over these risk factors:

 

  • High blood pressure
  • High cholesterol
  • Diabetes
  • Smoking
  • Being overweight or obese
  • Being physically inactive
  • Unhealthy diet
  • Stress

 

High Blood Pressure & High Cholesterol

 

The two most common heart disease risk factors are high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

 

High blood pressure, or hypertension is defined by the systolic (top) number being 140 or over and/or the diastolic (bottom) number being over 90. Nearly 1 in 3 adults have high blood pressure.

 

The risk for heart disease increases as your total amount of cholesterol increases. Your total cholesterol goal should be less than 200 mg. HDL, the good cholesterol should be higher than 40 mg in men and LDL should be less than 130 mg.  Regular exercise will also help lower “bad” cholesterol and raise “good” cholesterol.

 

Make the Change

 

Making lifestyle changes has been proven to reduce your risk of heart disease. Not only can you change physical risk factors but these changes can affect your emotional well being. In addition, a lot of positive changes cross over risk factors so if you already doing something to reduce one risk, you could be helping to reduce another as well.

 

Excess weight puts a significant strain on your heart and worsens several other heart disease risks. Increasing your physical activity and eating a heart healthy diet will help you maintain a healthy body weight. A diet low in cholesterol, saturated and trans fat and simple sugars will help lower cholesterol levels and reduce your risk for heart disease.

 

We have said it before and will say it again, exercise and diet can help control risk factors like high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes. Cardio or aerobic exercise (running, walking, biking, elliptical, etc.) combined with weight training is best. Research from the International Journal of Sport Nutrition & Exercise Metabolism and International Sports Medicine Journal found that the positive effect from losing fat and gaining muscle significantly improves HDL. Also, a fancy enzyme in the body named lipase increases.  This is important because lipase helps turn fat into the good guys, HDL.

 

How much?

 

Most people should exercise 30 minutes per day on most if not all days of the week. This includes moderate intensity cardiovascular exercise like walking, biking and swimming and strength training. Strength training recommendations are as follows:

 

  • 1-2 sets of 10-12 repetitions
  • 2-3 sessions per week
  • 8-10 exercises covering the major muscle groups

 
There are many physiological benefits for exercise.

     

  1. The improvement in the body’s ability to take in and use oxygen. As the ability to use oxygen becomes easier, regular daily activities can be completed with less fatigue.
  2. Exercise improves the capacity of the blood vessels to dilate in response to exercise which is consistent with better vascular wall function and an improved ability to provide oxygen to the muscles during exercise.

 
The most important thing is getting started. If you have any questions on how to get started or what changes you can make, contact us.
 

CVD Risk Assess CTA
 

References:

     

  1. Kochanek KD, Xu JQ, Murphy SL, Miniño AM, Kung HC.Deaths: final data for 2009[PDF-2M]National vital statistics reports. 2011;60(3).
  2. Roger VL, Go AS, Lloyd-Jones DM, Benjamin EJ, Berry JD, Borden WB, et al.Heart disease and stroke statistics—2012 update: a report from the American Heart AssociationCirculation. 2012;125(1):e2–220.
  3. “Cardiovascular Disease: The Leading Men’s Health Threat”. Accessed June 10, 2015. WebMD. http://www.webmd.com/men/features/6-top-health-threats-men
  4. “Exercise and Cardiovascular Health”. Accessed June 12,2015. American Heart Association. http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/107/1/e2.full
  5. “Risk Factors for Heart Disease”. Accessed June 10th, 2105. WebMD. http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/risk-factors-heart-disease
  6. McArdle, W.D. et al.  (2001). Exercise Physiology: Energy, Nutrition and Human Performance.  Lippincott, Williams and Wilkins: Philadelphia. pp. 920-934.
  7. Image courtesy of thampapon1 at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

 

Brent

Brent

President, Personal Training Manager at Body By Brent LLC
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