The heart is arguably one of the most important organs in the human body. Our hearts beat day and night, without a single moment of rest, for as long as we live. When it goes awry, things can get deadly.
Despite COVID-19’s alarming death toll (over 800,000), cardiovascular disease remains the top cause of death in the world - killing up to 17.9 million people every year. In Singapore, 1 out of 3 deaths are due to heart diseases or stroke and 17 people die from cardiovascular disease (heart diseases and stroke) each day.
The World Heart Federation established "World Heart Day" (falling on the last Sunday of September each year) to spread awareness, share cardiovascular knowledge and encourage people to pay more attention to their heart health.
Fortunately, it is not that hard to get started. To keep your heart healthy and reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease, look no further than your daily diet. There are a lot of “hearty” foods that are good for you and we have highlighted 3 of them below:
- Oatmeal
Oats are rich in β-glucan (a soluble fiber) which not only helps lower blood pressure, but also has a high antioxidant content. Oats are good for the heart as they can help to maintain normal blood circulation, prevent clogging of blood vessels, and reduce the negative side effects of consuming high-fat food. Oats are also very accessible and present in many forms of food such as multigrain bread and muesli.
- Nuts
It is commonly known that nuts offer positive nutritional effects for the brain, but they are often overlooked for their heart benefits as well. Nuts are rich in unsaturated fatty acids, which can improve blood vessel elasticity. Therefore, consuming more nuts can act as fuel for the heart and support optimum heart activity.
- Fungus
This “hearty” food item might be familiar to some but foreign to others. Studies have found positive heart health effects from the consumption of fungus. Black fungus is a nutrient-rich edible fungus rich in dietary fibre. As fungus contains anticoagulant ingredients, it is extremely helpful for reducing blood viscosity and reducing blood cholesterol.
In addition to a nutritious diet and healthy lifestyle with moderate exercise, experts suggest that middle-aged and elderly people may benefit from the supplementation of heart health products to further strengthen and maintain their cardiovascular system.
US Clinicals® StrongHeart™ utilises Nobel Prize-winning research in its formulation. It contains L-arginine and a variety of complex amino acids to enable the body to produce more nitric oxide.
Nitric oxide is necessary for good cardiovascular health as it helps to maintain blood vessel elasticity, promote smooth arterial blood flow, reduce heart pressure, maintain healthy cholesterol levels and stabilize blood pressure levels.