Page 21 - Seniorstoday December 2022 Issue
P. 21
Avoiding check ups be tough. What most people don’t know,
With our busy schedules and hectic is that the chemicals in tobacco smoke can
lifestyles, it’s easy to postpone regular cause the blood to clot, exposing them to
blood checks and consultations, which strokes, aneurysms or myocardial infarcts
could otherwise tell us our health status, Research has shown that passive smoking
our blood pressure, sugar levels etc. can be as dangerous, with innocent people
Couch potato becoming victims.
Sitting in a place for long periods of time - a Skipping meds
movie marathon, work or long travels- can Taking medication daily can often
alter your blood levels of fats and sugars, seem like a chore, especially if you’re
putting you at risk of a cardiac eventuality. asymptomatic. At times, people avoid them
Depression because of the side effects or because of the
Depression makes you ignore your health- increased expenses.
people tend to lose interest in exercising, Red meat
indulge in comfort food- usually sugary Red meat is a popular food of choice, and a
and processed food, with a lot of salt. All of popular fast food ingredient. If consumed
these have a negative effect on the heart. very often, though, it has a tendency to clog
Snoring the arteries and block blood vessels.
We tend to ignore snoring, accepting it as While it was earlier believed that this
annoying but harmless. The fact is, snores was the effect of the high fat content, it is
could indicate a deeper problem, known now believed that the effect is due to the
as obstructive sleep apnea. OSA has been production of a chemical called TMAO,
associated with various heart conditions, when gut bacteria break down certain
such as hypertension and arrhythmias. nutrients in the red meat.
Research shows that OSA increases the Eating empty calories
risk of heart failure by 140%. Foods rich in sugars and fat, with little
Too much exercise or no nutritional benefits, come in this
Excessive exercise or extreme exercise category. Cakes, chocolates, certain meats,
training can cause a strain on the heart, soft drinks, energy drinks, alcohol, are all
leaving you vulnerable to cardiac arrests. just a source of additional, empty calories.
They may lead to thickening of the heart They put you at risk of diabetes and
walls and scarring, and ultimately, to hypertension, and leave you vulnerable to
sudden cardiac arrests. heart diseases.
Overeating
Thinking your fine
Just being asymptomatic does not make
one healthy. As you know, diseases like
diabetes are silent killers. Being a diabetic,
overweight, hypertensive, will all push you
towards an inevitable cardiac eventuality.
Smoking
We are all aware that smoking is bad for
health, but to get rid of the addiction can
SENIORS TODAY | ISSUE #42 | DECEMBER 2022 21
