TIPS FOR HEART HEALTH

   Doctors on Government panels were asked for their advice and were told that the saturated fat in meat and dairy products was the main villain when caring for the heart.  Consumers did the logical thing and cut down on total fat while upping carbohydrates.  Research now shows that the sugar and refined flour in our hamburger buns, bagels, pizzas, cookies and sodas are even more problematic.  Stripped of fiber and other nutrients, these unhealthy carbohydrates zip-line through the digestive tract and into the bloodstream, where they deliver a triple dose of heart damage, raising harmful triglycerides, lowering protective HDL and raising blood pressure. Harvard’s Walter Willett, MD., says “Treat cheese as dessert, not the main course, and favor lean meat such as grass-fed bison and getting more exercise to keep the body tuned up.”

  Exercising for an hour a day can be a little daunting.  Any activity is good for the ticker and new research shows that you can maximize its heart-attack proofing benefits and spend time at the gym by making three simple changes to your sweat schedule.  You can double, even triple the heart-protecting benefits even when you exercise for less time.  “Short cardio bursts make your heart work harder and pump more blood with each beat which gives strength to your entire cardiovascular system,” says David Swain, PhD, a professor of exercise science at Old Dominion University.  It also prompts your muscles to develop more mitochondria, tiny energy-making units within cells that use sugar and fat for fuel.  The more mitochondria you have, the better your muscles become at utilizing carbohydrates, improving the body’s insulin sensitivity.  The result is that less sugar floats around in your blood and this lowers the risk of Type 2 diabetes, a major precursor of heart disease, and may give you a greater reduction in blood pressure.  When you pick up the pace, artery walls produce nitric oxide, which boosts their ability to dilate so blood flows more easily.

   “You gauge the intensity based on your own fitness level,” says Sharonne N. Hayes, M.D., a cardiologist and founder of the Women’s Heart Clinic at the Mayo Clinic, MN.  To find your maximum heart rate, multiply your age by 88 %, then subtract that number by 206 to get your MHR.  A heart rate monitor will also gauge your beats.  If you are 50, multiply 50 by by 0.88 to get 44 and then subtract that result from 206. Your MHR is then 162. You can use the talk test.  When working at high intensity, you won’t be able to speak a full sentence without taking a deep breath.