Cardiovascular diseases
What is it?
Cardiovascular disease is a broad term for problems with the heart and blood vessels. These problems are often due to atherosclerosis. This condition occurs when fat and cholesterol build up in the walls of the blood vessel (artery). This buildup is called plaque. Over time, plaque can narrow the blood vessels and cause problems throughout the body. If an artery becomes blocked, this can lead to a heart attack or a stroke.
Risk Factors and Lifestyle
Certain factors significantly influence a person's chances of developing cardiovascular disease. These are called risk factors. Some risk factors can be controlled, but others cannot. Although it is not possible to control risk factors such as sex, age, and heredity, it is possible to change lifestyle-related risk factors to prevent or delay the onset of cardiovascular disease. Medical studies show that it is possible to reduce cardiovascular risk by eating a diet low in fat, salt, and cholesterol, not using any type of tobacco, exercising at least three times a week, maintaining a healthy weight, and reducing blood pressure.
Exercise
Exercise or lack thereof plays an important role in our health. Studies show that you should do aerobic exercise (such as brisk walking, jogging, or cycling) at least three times a week for 30 minutes to strengthen your heart. In addition, medical studies show that short periods of physical exercise that together add up to 30 minutes per day are as beneficial for health as 30 continuous minutes of exercise.
One of the best measures we can take to improve health is to eat low-fat foods and exercise regularly. Exercise burns calories, reduces appetite, blood pressure, and stress, and raises HDL ("good cholesterol") levels. It also improves our figure and makes us feel better. It's almost too simple.
Diet
It is possible to reduce cardiovascular risk by implementing just a few sensible dietary changes. Heart-healthy habits include limiting daily salt intake to less than 2,300 milligrams of sodium. (People who suffer from high blood pressure may need to limit their salt intake even further—to about 1,500 milligrams per day.)
The diet should consist mainly of fruit, vegetables, grains, lean meats, and fish. It is advisable to reduce the consumption of fat (especially saturated fat) and cholesterol (fatty red meats, whole milk, cheeses made with whole milk, eggs, cream-based dishes, and desserts that contain a lot of fat).
"It is possible to reduce blood cholesterol levels by five to ten percent by eating a heart-healthy diet, that is, by consuming more dietary fiber and less fat and cholesterol," says Dr. Cooley. "When we eat fiber-rich foods, we feel full and eat fewer foods high in calories, fat, and cholesterol."
THE IMPORTANCE OF CHAI TEA IN IMPROVING HEART HEALTH
There is evidence that the ingredients in chai tea help improve heart health. One of them is cinnamon. Some studies in adults found that consuming 1.3 to 6 grams per day reduces total cholesterol by 26%, LDL or bad cholesterol by 27%, and triglycerides by 30%.
However, like pepper, these cinnamon values are higher than indicated for chai tea. Although one review suggests that 120 milligrams of cinnamon per day may be sufficient.
Tea has been analyzed in healthy, overweight, and obese people to understand its effect on cardiovascular risk factors. A decrease in total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol was found, while good cholesterol or HDL did not change.
A group of experts observed that drinking 4 or more cups of tea a day can reduce blood pressure levels. While drinking 3 cups could reduce the risk of heart disease by 11%.
Black tea contains 6% catechins and 12 to 18% thearubigins. These active components participate in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases and the general promotion of health.
