Heart health is no joke; it’s one of the essential components in your overall wellness, and if your heart isn’t in good shape, the rest of your body can’t be, either. While there are many factors that play into cardiovascular health, such as stress levels, exercise, and lifestyle choices like cigarette and alcohol use, one of the most important things to keep in mind is your diet. Putting heart-healthy ingredients on your plate every day can help you live a longer life—and on the other hand, there are certain foods cardiologists say you should avoid at all costs in order to protect yourself from heart disease.
To learn more about how diet affects cardiovascular health and the worst foods out there for your heart, we spoke to cardiologist Nick West, MD, Chief Medical Officer & DVP of Global Medical Affairs at Abbott’s vascular business. He told us that two types of foods to look out for are ones loaded with sugar and saturated fats. Find all of Dr. West’s insight below!
High-sugar foods
We probably don't have to tell you twice that refined sugar is never a great option for your overall health. Eating too many sugary foods can lead to issues like weight gain, digestive problems, inflammation, and, according to Dr. West, heart disease. "Increased dietary sugar consumption is known to increase risk of cardiovascular disease including coronary heart disease (angina & heart attack) and cerebrovascular disease (stroke)," he says. For this reason, it's best to cut back on the sweets (that includes processed breakfast cereals and even innocent-seeming options like fruit juice) as much as possible if you want to keep your heart health in check.
Unfortunately, artificial sweeteners don't make a much better alternative. "Although artificial sweeteners were developed as a healthier, lower calorie alternative to sugar, they appear to carry significant risks themselves in the development of the same conditions that are associated with high sugar intake," Dr. West says. He tells us the best thing you can do is to "reduce dietary free sugar intake to as low as reasonably possible." However, remember that, as he says, "some sugar is required for metabolic needs including powering muscle contractions and cellular functions." Just keep moderation in mind, and you should be in good hands.
Saturated fats
In addition to sugar, saturated fats (like those found in what Dr. Boyer refers as "room temperature foods,"red meats, oils, and dairy products) are another major culprit of cardiovascular issues. This is because they can throw off your cholesterol levels, raising your levels of "bad" cholesterol, or non-HDL cholesterol. "Chronic excess of non-HDL cholesterol leads to accumulation in the walls of blood vessels and can lead to heart attack, stroke, kidney disease and critical limb ischemia that can necessitate amputations," he explains. Yikes!
Dr. West goes in to say that "bad cholesterol can be harmful as it may continue to circulate in excess within the body, inflaming and damaging blood vessels, and leading to deposition of fatty deposits" and that "build-up of these deposits over time can narrow or block critical arteries that supply the heart, causing angina and heart attack; the brain, causing stroke; the kidneys, leading to kidney failure; and to the lower limbs, leading to pain on walking and the formation of slow-healing ulcers."
If you're concerned about your cholesterol or your heart health in general, keeping processed meats, dairy products, and fried foods to a minimum is always a good idea. Overall, avoiding highly processed foods is the best thing for your health. When you keep your consumption of these things to a minimum, your body (especially your heart!) will thank you in the long run.
