Tips to Prevent a Heart Attack

Friday, February 24, 2012

Joe Parello, GoLocalWorcester Contributor

Heart disease is the number one killer for women and men. February is American Heart Month, designed to raise awareness of heart disease. GoLocalWorcester spoke with a local physician to give you some advice for a healthy heart.

Know Your Risk Factors

While everyone is somewhat at risk for heart disease, there are several factors that make certain people more susceptible than others. Dr. Mark Kranis, a physician at Worcester’s Saint Vincent Hospital, says people need to know if they are at greater risk.

“People with diabetes are probably at the highest risk,” Kranis said. “Smokers are at a very high risk, people with high cholesterol and blood pressure are at an elevated risk, and also those that are overweight and obese. Of course, there are also those that have a family history of premature coronary disease.”

How to Reduce your Risk

If you fall into one of the above groups, there are things you can do to lower your risk. Many of these are simple things such as eating better and exercising, but Kranis stresses that those who are diabetic must be vigilant in monitoring themselves. “If you’re a diabetic, from that respect, get your diabetes under as much control as you can,” Kranis said. “Take all your medicines. You really need to make sure you’re following that regimen. If you have high blood pressure, control that with either medications or your diet. Things like watching your salt.”

A Diet for a Healthy Heart

Dieting is almost never fun, but if you are at risk for heart disease, you would be wise to rethink your eating habits. Obviously, cutting down on trans-fats and eating plenty of fruits and vegetables is a start, but Kranis believes the problem usually falls with the quantity of food eaten.

“The big thing that we focus on is portion control,” Kranis said. “You also really need to watch the snacks. Obviously, the goal for anyone that is obese or overweight is to lose some weight, and that will help all of your risk factors. That will help keep diabetes and blood pressure under control, and it’s probably also going to bring you cholesterol down as well.”

Read the Label

The idea of avoiding saturated and trans-fats is nice and all, but how do you know which foods contain these harmful compounds? Well, Dr. Kranis suggests reading the wrapper of any food you buy and looking for a tip-off that the product you are holding could be bad for you.

“One of the most important things I tell my patients is to start reading labels and know what they’re eating,” Kranis said. “The key things to look out for are anything that is hydrogenated. You know, there are things like hydrogenated palm oil, and things like that. All those hydrogenated oils are basically a kind of trans-fat, so it’s very important to avoid them."