How to reduce your risk for another cardiac event
By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant
If you’ve suffered a heart attack, you absolutely should follow through with any protocols your healthcare provider recommends.
It’s so important because “there is a lot you can do to prevent recurrent heart attacks,” said physician Andrew Mathias, with UR Medicine Cardiac Care.
“A large percentage of heart attacks are preventable with diet, exercise, medication and controlling cholesterol and diabetes,” according to Mathias.
That applies to secondary heart attacks as well. Mathias advises his patients to avoid smoking. Beyond the cancer risks of smoking, the habit also damages heart health because the toxins in cigarettes harm blood vessels and increase likelihood of atherosclerosis: plaque buildup in the arteries. According to the National Institutes of Health, even occasional smoking can affect the heart and blood vessels and raise risk for peripheral artery disease and thus raise the risk of heart attack and also stroke.
Experiencing a heart attack may seem like a good reason to take it easy and avoid heavy activity. But Mathias said that patients should “partner with their doctor with respect to activity restrictions. Further out, there shouldn’t be a lot of restriction on exercise.
“One thing I find is patients feel like they’re very fragile and they shouldn’t do X, Y or Z because they could have another heart attack. The data shows the opposite,” he said.
Exercising 30 minutes a day five times weekly is a good general recommendation. Mathias said this could include a brisk walk that elevates the heart rate. Add to that regimen two sessions of light weights with higher repetitions and patients can dramatically improve their baseline health.
Many physicians feel that their patient education time is limited and typically revolving around medication. Mathias thinks that “things like diet get lost in the shuffle and it’s a shame because dietary changes are probably the most important factor for most patients — the more plant-based, the better.”
He advises the DASH or Mediterranean diet as they’ve both been studied in randomized trials for improving heart health. In addition, Mathias said that reducing saturated fat, red meat, processed carbohydrates and processed foods in general can help. Consuming olive oil can reduce risk of heart attack as well.
“Especially when it comes to heart conditions, my advice is the patient should be happy, come out of the hospital feeling as good as new to help him go on, said Arunie Malwatta nutrition and lifestyle medicine physician at Rochester Regional Health. “He should step into a world that’s stable and has a good environment. It’s not totally cutting off oil and sweets. It should be a balance of eating whole food and understand the food culture.”
It may feel like if a parent suffered a heart attack, you’re slated to have a heart attack yourself. And if you’re already experienced one, it may seem like your fate. However, Malwatta said that genetics only carry 10% of the weight for secondary heart attack risk. The rest is lifestyle.
“Nine times more powerful than genes is the environment: food, friendship, family, nature, stress management and avoiding drug use, tobacco and alcohol,” Malwatta said. “We should not worry about our genetics, like ‘My father had a heart attack.’ You can be really healthy if you pay attention to your environment. If it doesn’t support your genes, it won’t manifest the disease.”
She encourages patients to spend time outdoors every day. Recent research supports the notion that 20 minutes in nature daily can help support good health.
“It creates health benefits,” Malwatta said. “Going on vacation once a year isn’t enough.”