Is there anything i can do to ensure a healthy heart?. I think i know why I've been geting chest pains and anyrythms.

Cardio. The heart is a muscle and just like other muscles progressive overload will cause your body to strengthen it. Just don't overdo it.

Also, keep your saturated fat intake below 10% of your daily calories, or 7% if you've had past heart problems. I'm not a doctor, though, so see one if you haven't already.

Alrite, i'll do a little more cardio. Are there any foods i could be eating which would be good for my heart?.

I'll leave this up to the experts to respond to, as I am not a doctor or dietitian, except to mention my favorite cereal, Kashi Heart to Heart (http://www.kashi.com/hrt2hrt.html).

Btw, Luke, I notice you're from Wales. My last name is Lloyd, though I don't know anything really of Welsh heritage.

Thanks for the replys Justin, Have you got a Welsh backround at all?.

No, my dad's side of the family doesn't seem to know much about their Welsh background, and I've never bothered researching it. I think my sister did a little research in high school and found that we were descended from Charlemagne, but then so are a lot of people (that was a LONG time ago). Other than that I know really nothing of my heritage.

Is there anything i can do to ensure a healthy heart?. I think i know why I've been geting chest pains and anyrythms.
Why do you think you've been getting chest pains and anyrythms?

I'm mostly English and Welsh, heavier on the English side. I don't think my family has any ancestors of particular note though. At least not any that I know of. Bunch of Pilgrims. :)

I know that calcium is important to heart health--that would be the entire extent of my knowledge on the subject.

I had somthing a while back that causes heart desease, it was treated, but it's starting to re-surface now.

dark chocolate is good for your heart :)

Awsome :claphigh:

There are 5 risk factor biggies for coronary disease.


Smoking
Hypertension
Diabetes
Cholesterol level
Family history
On top of that, males have a higher risk than females (oestrogen is protective, that's why female coronary disease rates begin to catch back up after the menopause).

The other big risk factor is age. However, I feel, that it isn't a risk in and of itself, it merely allows the others longer to cause problems.

These aren't the whole story however. There are still plenty of people who have no classical risk factors who end up getting coronary disease. Just as we look back at the health knowledge and technology of the 50's and can see our advances, in the 2050's, the same will be said about us.

The first 4 of the 5 risk factors I mentioned can be modified. It is worth remembering that coronary disease is NOT a disease of older people, it is a lifelong disease that usually takes until a person is older to manifest itself.


American Heart Journal 1983;105:560-566 Simms
The author compared coronary arteries from post-mortem samples obtained from 352 patients who died as a result of war and accidents. The first line of the results is the clincher...

"After the age of 3 years, no coronary vessel was free from intimal thickening."

It's no good deciding at 50 that you 'have to start looking after yourself', by that time, much damage has been done.

You have been warned....

Andrew.