March 24, 2017
Show your heart some love by committing to healthy habits. Amr Mohsen, MD, FACC, RPVI, a board-certified Interventional Cardiologist with the Northern Nevada Medical Group, recommends the following six things to help control the risk factors associated with heart disease.
- Don't Smoke. Quitting smoking is the number one thing you can do to prevent heart disease.
- Eat heart-healthy. Say yes to more fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains, and no to processed foods. Also, reduce your intake of red meat, salt, sugar and high-fat foods.
- Get moving. Aim for at least 30 to 60 minutes of exercise most days of the week.* This can help with your weight and benefit your heart at the same time, a win-win!
- Manage stress. Take a deep breath … and look for healthy ways to manage stress in your life, such as exercise,* meditation and hobbies.
- Get annual checkups. Make sure your yearly visits with your doctor include lab work that screens for blood glucose and cholesterol levels.
- Know your numbers. Your doctor can tell you what your blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides and any other pertinent numbers should be. Triglycerides are a form of fat in the blood that is a marker for increased risk of plaque in the arteries. Very high triglycerides (400 or 500+) put you at risk for pancreatitis.
Most healthy adults have:
- Blood pressure less than 120/80
- Total cholesterol less than 200 mg/dL
- HDL, the “good” cholesterol, higher than 40 mg/dL in males and higher than 50 mg/dL in females
- LDL, the “bad” cholesterol that clogs arteries, lower than 100 mg/dL
*Consult your doctor before beginning an exercise program.
To schedule an appointment with Dr. Mohsen, please call 775-356-4514.