Want to start reversing the effects of heart disease? Good news: Lowering inflammation in the body can make a difference.
Hear a Mayo Clinic cardiologist explain how to start taking control of your health when you have heart disease.
We asked a Mayo Clinic cardiologist: Why is reducing inflammation so important if you have heart disease?
Stephen Kopecky, M.D., Cardiovascular Medicine: You can't reverse necessarily like a heart attack where you have heart cells die. You can't change hardening of the arteries. But you can improve the blood flow in the function of the arteries that supply blood to the heart.
A lot of the damage to the lining of the artery to the heart that causes heart attacks is due to inflammation or irritation of the tissues. You need to do what you can to remove the damage of the lining of the arteries.
Number one now is diet. Try to eat different foods that reduce inflammation. That helps. Lots of fruits and vegetables; five servings a day has been shown to be helpful. If you want some protein from an animal source, less red meat, more white meat, poultry.
And you have to get adequate amounts of sleep. The other thing is stress reduction. Because stress is very proinflammatory also. Plus it leads to other habits that may not be as good for you. You may not eat as healthy. You may not be as active physically. It could be meditation. It could be prayer. Every study that has shown coronary artery disease regression has also included stress reduction.
The keys to preventing, which is much better than reversing — you don't want to wait until a problem occurs and then try to fix it — make sure it doesn't happen in the first place.
Dr. Kopecky has dedicated his career to helping people live heart-healthy lives.
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