Heart disease prevention begins in youth

Many people think that it is not necessary to worry about heart disease in youth. A big mistake, since heart disease prevention should start in your twenties.

Although the prevalence of cardiovascular disease is low in premenopausal women –probably due to the partially protective effects of estrogen–, the primary risk factors can appear after the age of 20.

Kick bad habits and stay active

Lifestyle choices in your early 20s can dramatically reduce or increase your risk of developing heart disease later in life. Smoking, abusing alcohol and poor food choices (trans fats, excess salt and sugar, little fiber ...) are among the habits that increase your chances of getting heart disease.

If you want to prevent heart disease before it's too late, you need to stop smoking, eat healthy, and exercise regularly. The sedentary lifestyle is one of the greatest enemies of our most important organ.

Lifestyle modifications don't have to be important. When it comes to training, 150 moderate-intensity or 75 vigorous-type minutes each week is sufficient, which is far less than most spent watching TV or browsing social media in one day.

Mediterranean diet

According to research, the ideal diet to protect the heart is the Mediterranean: fruit, vegetables, legumes, cereals, grains, meat, fish, eggs, shellfish and olive oil. However, the prevention of heart disease is not exclusive to the Mediterranean diet. If your diet is healthy and you eat unsaturated fats instead of trans fats (which are usually found in processed foods), you will also be contributing to better heart health.


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