Cardiovascular diseases include various conditions affecting the heart and blood circulation. Among these, we find coronary heart disease, which causes angina and heart attacks, is the most common.

The main challenge of cardiovascular diseases lies in their often silent nature. Indeed, without apparent symptoms such as a heart attack or angina, it is difficult to detect their presence. The origins can be hereditary or linked to inexplicable feelings of fatigue. If we do not pay attention to the signals of our body, these diseases can go unnoticed, even in the case of a micro-infarction without visible after-effects.

Some numbers

• In France, several hundred thousand people are affected by cardiovascular diseases.
• They represent the second leading cause of death in men and the first in women.
• Annually, there are between 40,000 and 50,000 deaths from sudden death among adults, and 150,000 people die from cardiovascular diseases.

How does the cardiovascular system work?

The heart acts as a pump, pushing blood throughout the body. This fresh blood carries essential nutrients to cells and organs, then returns to the heart to be filtered. Any malfunction in this process can lead to poor heart health. Atheromatous plaques, made up of harmful fats, can also clog arteries, disrupting blood flow and increasing the risk of complications such as heart attacks.

What are atheromatous plaques?

Atheroma plaques are bad fats that will gradually agglomerate along the walls of the arteries. And so the more they are present, the more the passage is restricted. This considerably increases the risk of clots and therefore the blood flow will be impacted. A blocked artery will significantly increase the risk of heart attack.

And what are cardiovascular diseases?

They can occur in different places in our body, not just in the heart. Yes, the heart will play an important role, because it is the pump of our body. If all the channels are blocked, with atheromatous plaques, the pumping is no longer effective enough and this will impact the other organs.

We can therefore be victims of a cardiovascular or cerebral accident but also of arteritis of the lower limbs. The blood no longer rises correctly from our lower limbs or the circulation is also blocked.

You should therefore pay attention to small symptoms: more difficulty walking, heavy legs, slowing down of brain connections… Which can ultimately be warning signs!

We recommend that you have regular blood tests. This will allow you to see your triglyceride levels, good and bad cholesterol, and especially how your body manages these levels.

Risk factors for cardiovascular disease

There are 4 main risk factors:

• Hypercholesterolemia: an excess of total cholesterol and bad cholesterol, which affects the blood and atheromatous plaques.
• Hypertension, diabetes,
• Excess weight: a certain pressure is exerted on our arteries, and blood flow is impacted,
• Smoking (active or passive): lungs breathe less well, therefore needing more blood and flow to compensate.

Improve your lifestyle

High blood pressure is the most common chronic disease in the world. It is defined in particular by excessive pressure in the arteries over a prolonged period.

Certain elements are likely to increase the blood pressure value:

• A diet rich in salt,
• Few vegetables and fruits,
• Excessive alcohol consumption,
• Sedentary lifestyle: insufficient physical activity,
• Overweight, or obesity,
• The tobacco,
• High bad cholesterol for low good cholesterol,
• Poor quality of sleep,
• Stress.

Daily nutritional actions

It is important to develop kindness towards what we put on our plates, to preserve our health as much as possible!

The right weight, or the right weight

Pay attention to the pods you’ve always had, to the morphology you’ve always had, and try to notice the changes. If you’ve always been slim, and thin, and you gain 5 to 10 kilos, you have to make sure you understand why and especially see how it impacts your health. Conversely, someone who is strong, has always been in shape, or muscular, or has a more imposing frame, who gains 5 kilos, there is less to worry about.
You know yourself, pay attention to the changes! It’s not a question of gaining or losing weight, but of knowing the right weight for your body.

Dietary balance to improve cardiovascular health

Eat everything, in the right amount! It is important not to fall into food restrictions or prohibitions. Otherwise, you will create frustration that will push you to crack very hard. Know what you love to eat, and if it is not healthy, be sure to limit your consumption rather than eliminate it.

Think of it as a pyramid with the largest, most important part at its base containing the foundations of nutrition:

• starchy foods (bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, wheat, semolina, legumes, etc.): which provide energy for a long time and give a feeling of satiety,
• the vegetables,
• the proteins,
• the cereals,…

While at the top, where there is less space, foods that are too fatty, too sweet, too salty, industrial.

Keep in mind that even if our body normally has identical needs daily, they can vary from one day to the next! In case of physical effort, we will need more starchy foods than usual to last! Then for recovery, we will need to provide vitamins, protein, and why not sugar!

Fats: should we ban them?

Against all expectations, there are good fats! The important thing is to vary them. These fats are present in meat, fish, eggs, and oils! Favor foods with good essential fatty acids and good omega, and vary!

The rule of 5

At each meal, or at least one of the two meals, I must have:

• A source of protein (meat, fish, or egg), or plant origin,
• A source of cooked or raw vegetables,
• A source of starchy foods,
• A dairy product,
• A fruit.

This is the basis of a balanced diet, and don’t forget water!

Physical activities

To stimulate the arteries, and get the lungs out of their comfort zone. And especially for our muscles, which need to be stimulated to be able to continue to support us.

Any movement can be a physical activity! For example, going to get bread, doing DIY, gardening, cleaning, and tidying up… All of these are sources of movement and challenge your body and your heart.

These activities are not a sporting activity. And it is still important to have at least one per week! Think about the gentle gym or adapted gym, chair yoga, swimming, walking… This way you draw on your reserves and engage in the effort.