{"id":20828,"date":"2024-04-29T15:14:15","date_gmt":"2024-04-29T09:44:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fitterfly.com\/blog\/?p=20828"},"modified":"2024-04-29T15:40:24","modified_gmt":"2024-04-29T10:10:24","slug":"breaking-down-ahas-lifes-essential-8-checklist-from-fitterflys-webinar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fitterfly.com\/blog\/breaking-down-ahas-lifes-essential-8-checklist-from-fitterflys-webinar\/","title":{"rendered":"Breaking Down AHA\u2019s Life\u2019s Essential 8 Checklist from Fitterfly\u2019s Webinar"},"content":{"rendered":"

The <\/span>American Heart Association (AHA)<\/span><\/a> has outlined a comprehensive checklist of 8 essential health factors to promote optimal cardiovascular health and reduce heart disease and stroke risk. Cardiologists recommend patients incorporate these <\/span>health tips for the heart into their daily routines.<\/span><\/p>\n

Since the global burden of cardiovascular disease is rising exponentially (<\/span>19.8 million deaths in 2022<\/span><\/a>), embracing the AHA-recommended healthy lifestyle practices holds significant promise in preventing heart disease complications and reducing hospital admissions.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fitterfly hosted an insightful webinar led by<\/span> Dr Vivek Baliga<\/b> [MBBS MRCP PhD MBA PGDLM, Consultant Physician and Cardiologist; Director, Baliga Diagnostics] and<\/span> Dr Manthan Mehta <\/b><\/a>(Program Head for Hypertension & CV Health, Fitterfly) to highlight the significance of adopting <\/span>health tips for the heart to prevent cardiovascular diseases. The focal points of the discussion related to AHA\u2019s Life\u2019s Essential 8 Checklist<\/span> are encompassed below:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Eminent

Fig 1: Eminent speakers at the Fitterfly\u2019s webinar<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Heart-Healthy Food Consumption<\/b><\/h2>\n

AHA recommends consuming fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, plant-based proteins, lean animal proteins, seafood, and nuts as a <\/span>heart-healthy tip.<\/b> It also advocates limiting red and processed meats, refined carbohydrates, and sodium.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A review by <\/span>Dagfinn Aune et al., <\/span><\/i>including 45 studies (64 publications),<\/span> found that an increase in whole grain consumption by 90 g\/day per day could reduce the <\/span>risk for coronary heart disease by 19% and cardiovascular disease by 22%.\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Another 2020 study by <\/span>Long Ge et al. <\/span><\/i>involving 121 eligible trials with 21942 candidates revealed that low carbohydrate and low-fat diets successfully <\/span>reduced systolic pressure by 5.14 mmHg and diastolic pressure by 3.21 mmHg<\/span><\/a> (in comparison to standard diet) following 6 months of continuous consumption.<\/span><\/p>\n

Regular Workouts<\/b><\/h2>\n

The AHA recommends either 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity per week, or alternatively, 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity per week, or a combination of both. Aerobic exercises like brisk walking, cycling, hiking, running, climbing stairs, and swimming use aerobic metabolism to extract muscle energy. They promote <\/span>lipid metabolism, cardiac remodeling, post-MI heart failure, insulin resistance, and endothelial function.\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Anaerobic exercises like sprinting and powerlifting improve BMI levels, reduce blood pressure, and lower triglycerides and LDL levels. High-intensity intermittent exercise is beneficial because it considerably improves cardiovascular health within a shorter time (3-4 sessions\/week).<\/span><\/p>\n

\"AHA

Fig 2: AHA recommended Life\u2019s Essential 8 Checklist for a healthy heart<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Quitting Tobacco<\/b><\/h2>\n

Smoking is linked to about \u2153 of all cardiovascular disease mortality and 90% of lung cancers. <\/span>Emily Banks et al.<\/span><\/i> performed a study on <\/span>188,167 CVD and cancer-free candidates<\/span><\/a> in the age group \u2265\u200945\u2009years to find out of the 36 most common specific CVD subtypes. Smokers demonstrated a higher incidence of 29 subtypes. The cardiovascular death hazard ratio among current smokers who smoke <\/span>4 to 6 cigarettes per day was 1.92<\/span><\/a>, while for those who smoke 25 or more cigarettes per day was 4.90.<\/span><\/p>\n

Quality Sleep<\/b><\/h2>\n

7-9 hours of quality sleep is crucial for adults to maintain optimal cardiovascular health. A study involving<\/span> 60,586 adults aged 40 years or older <\/span><\/a>pointed out that participants sleeping less than 6 hours daily demonstrated an increased risk of coronary heart disease. Researchers concentrated on two types of Sleep Scores (multiplicative and additive) for this study.<\/span><\/p>\n

Candidates in the lowest multiplicative and additive Sleep Scores quartile demonstrated a <\/span>hazard ratio of 1.31. <\/span><\/a>\u00a0Participants exhibiting dreamy sleep and difficulty falling asleep\/use of sleeping pills showed increased heart disease risk.<\/span><\/p>\n

Managing Weight<\/b><\/h2>\n

Maintaining a healthy BMI range between 18.5 kg\/m<\/span>2<\/span> and 24.9 kg\/m<\/span>2<\/span> is crucial in achieving optimal cardiovascular health. A long-term weight loss study by <\/span>V J Stevens et al.<\/span><\/i> pointed out that up to<\/span> 4.5 kg weight loss could significantly reduce blood pressure<\/span><\/a> and relative hypertension risk. <\/span><\/p>\n

The intervention group achieving 4.5 kg weight reduction at 6 months (n = 595) showed a hypertension risk ratio of<\/span> 0.58 at 6 months, 0.78 at 18 months, and 0.81 at 36 months.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Managing Cholesterol<\/b><\/h2>\n

The Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC) recommends total cholesterol of \ufe64200 mg\/dL, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) of 60 mg\/dL or higher, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) of\ufe64100 mg\/dL, and triglycerides of\ufe64149 mg\/dL.<\/span><\/p>\n

Eujene Jung et al. <\/span><\/i>systematically reviewed 14 independent reports, including 1,055,309 candidates and 9457 events. The result revealed that the hazard ratio was <\/span>1.27 for total cholesterol, 1.21 for LDL-C, and 0.60 for HDL-C.<\/span><\/a> It presented a linear relationship between serum cholesterol (TC, HDL-C) levels and CVD deaths during the meta-analysis.<\/span><\/p>\n

Controlling Blood Sugar<\/b><\/h2>\n

Clinical data suggest that diabetes patients are more likely to develop cardiovascular complications if their blood sugar does not remain within the standard range. A review by Peter <\/span>E.H. Schwarz et al.<\/span><\/i> suggested that <\/span>intensive glucose lowering can decrease micro- and macrovascular morbidities and CV deaths<\/span><\/a>. It also demonstrated that diabetes medications, including GLP-1 RA and SGLT-2 inhibitors, deliver better glycemic control and CV outcomes than traditional BP-lowering drugs.<\/span><\/p>\n

Controlling Blood Pressure<\/b><\/h2>\n

Maintaining blood pressure below 120\/80 mmHg helps reduce the risk of heart attack, <\/span>stroke, and hospitalisations. Multiple epidemiological data point out that lowering blood pressure may decrease <\/span>myocardial infarction risk by 20% – 25%, stroke by 35%-40%, and heart failure by 50%. <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Antihypertensive treatment that blocks the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) can decrease heart disease risks independent of BP reduction.<\/span><\/p>\n

Adherence to AHA’s Life’s Essential 8 Checklist<\/b><\/h2>\n

In conclusion, adhering to the AHA’s Life’s Essential 8 Checklist is a proactive and effective approach to mitigating heart disease risk. Patients can take charge of their cardiovascular health by focusing on these eight key <\/span>health tips for the heart \u2014smoking cessation, physical activity, healthy diet, body weight, blood pressure, cholesterol levels, blood sugar, and medication adherence.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Dr Baliga also advocated following these <\/span>health tips for the heart<\/b> according to the Indian perspective to reduce CVD risk. Check out the webinar video on YouTube for a detailed explanation of these eight key factors.<\/span><\/p>\n