Hardening of the arteries is a disease that is as fatal as it is preventable. Find out which simple tips you can use to keep your blood vessels clean and prevent arteriosclerosis.
Table of Contents
5 simple tips to prevent hardening of the arteries
1. Give up cigarettes
If you smoke, this is one of the biggest levers in the prevention of arteriosclerosis. Years of cigarette consumption impair blood flow in the vessels and can lead to high blood pressure – a major risk factor for damage to the vessel walls and inelastic blood vessels. Furthermore, cigarettes can lower your HDL cholesterol levels – not a good thing since HDL is the health-promoting antagonist to the bad LDL cholesterol that builds up in the walls of your bloodstream. In addition, smoking increases the levels of free radicals, which in turn promote inflammation throughout the body.
2. Avoid being overweight
A few kilos too much on the scales are usually not a massive problem. However, anyone who is severely overweight should definitely lose weight – preferably under professional guidance. Because overweight and above all obesity increase the risk of high blood pressure, poor blood lipid levels and hardening of the arteries. For example , being overweight doubles or triples the risk of suffering a stroke .
3. Get some exercise every day
If you’re not a sports enthusiast, don’t worry! Because to prevent diseases of civilization such as arteriosclerosis, it is more effective to exercise moderately every day instead of going full throttle once or twice a week and overexerting yourself. Intense training sessions are also beneficial and keep your heart and muscles in good shape. However, daily walks or cycling to work are already effective ways to help protect your vessels. The good thing about it: It takes a lot less effort to walk around the neighborhood for 20 minutes in the evening than to do a 90-minute, sweaty workout.
4. Eat less white flour and animal products
On the one hand, avoiding obesity plays a major role in preventing arteriosclerosis. On the other hand, regardless of the calories, certain foods contain nutrients that either promote or prevent the build-up of LDL cholesterol in your blood vessel walls. Of course, enjoyment is also part of life and you don’t have to do without any of the “bad” foods completely. Nevertheless, a moderate use of sugar and white flour products and saturated animal fatty acids, for example from butter, sausage products, fatty meat or high-fat dairy products, would be advisable. In contrast, feel free to consume more vegetables of all colors and shapes, and olive oil and nuts on a regular basisincorporate into your diet. Tip: Read here in detail which foods protect you from arteriosclerosis and which foods you should rather avoid .
5. Take action against high blood pressure and diabetes
If you have either of these two diseases, you should do everything you can to get them under control as best as possible together with your doctor. According to the German Vascular League eV , both high blood pressure and poorly controlled type 1 or 2 diabetes significantly increase the risk of arterial calcification. Therefore, consistent, multifactorial treatment is necessary to lower your blood pressure or bring your blood sugar levels into a normal range.
