Lifestyle has a big impact on our health as we grow older. People who are physically active, eat well and maintain a healthy weight are less likely to get heart disease or have a stroke. We should all be thinking about our heart health and what we can do to keep as healthy as possible.
A fatty diet can raise your cholesterol, increasing your risk of heart disease and stroke. You’re twice as likely to have a heart attack if you smoke. If you have family history of cardiovascular disease, make sure you tell your GP. They may want to check your blood pressure and cholesterol.
A heart attack is a serious medical emergency in which the supply of blood to the heart is suddenly blocked, usually by a blood clot. Lack of blood to the heart can seriously damage the heart muscle.
Symptoms can include:
Prevention:
There are five main steps you can take to reduce your risk of having a heart attack (or having another heart attack): Eat a healthy diet, lose weight if you need to, exercise regularly, do not smoke (or quit now) and be careful with alcohol.
A stroke is a serious medical condition that occurs when the blood supply to part of the brain is cut off. Strokes are a medical emergency and fast treatment is essential because the sooner a person receives treatment for a stroke, the less damage is likely to happen.
Symptoms:
The Face-Arm-Speech-Time (FAST) test lists the main symptoms to look out for:
Eat a healthy diet, exercise regularly, do not smoke (or quit now) and be careful with alcohol.