There is a simple method abroad to understand the health of your cardiovascular system in a short time, which is to self-test your vascular age. It includes the following: (1) Recently feeling emotionally depressed; (2) Being overly serious or meticulous; (3) Frequently eating convenience foods, biscuits, and snacks; (4) Having a preference for meat; (5) Lacking physical exercise; (6) The number of cigarettes smoked per day multiplied by age exceeds 400; (7) Chest pain when climbing stairs; (8) Cold, numb hands and feet; (9) Obvious "forgetfulness"; (10) High blood pressure; (11) High cholesterol or blood sugar levels; (12) Relatives who have died from stroke, heart disease, etc. The more of the above items you meet, the higher your vascular age. Those who meet 0-4 items have a normal vascular age. Those who meet 5-7 items are 10 years older than their physiological age. Those who meet 8-12 items are 20 years older than their physiological age.
People whose vascular age is more than 10 years older than their physiological age have a higher risk of developing diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. To make your blood vessels "younger," you should follow these 6 points:
A reasonable dietary structure
Eat more grains, fruits, and vegetables, and eat less meat. Be sure to be moderate with "three highs" (high sugar, high fat, high cholesterol) foods such as fatty meat, chocolate, cream, sugar, sweet pastries, and animal offal.
Eat more anti-aging foods
In recent years, experts at home and abroad have agreed that to keep blood vessels young, you should eat more of the following anti-aging foods on the basis of a balanced diet: apples, carrots, skim milk, mineral water, shellfish, chicken, spinach, oranges, malt, and tuna.
Eat more foods rich in folic acid
If your diet lacks folic acid, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12, it can increase the level of homocysteine in the blood, which can easily damage the vascular endothelial cells and promote the formation of atherosclerotic plaques. Supplementing folic acid plays an important role in reducing the incidence of coronary heart disease and stroke. Experts recommend that middle-aged and elderly people, especially those with cardiovascular diseases, should pay attention to consuming more folic acid-rich foods, such as red amaranth, spinach, asparagus, leeks, and yeast.
Stay away from salt
Excessive salt intake can easily lead to high blood pressure. The World Health Organization recommends a daily salt intake of equal to or less than 5 grams.
Quit smoking and limit alcohol
Nicotine in cigarettes can increase the concentration of cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein in the blood, damage the inner lining of blood vessels, and cause atherosclerosis. The longer and more you smoke, the higher the chance of developing atherosclerosis. Long-term heavy consumption of white liquor and beer can also easily lead to atherosclerosis, so drinking is not recommended.
Engage in physical exercise
Studies have found that practicing tai chi for half an hour every day for 30 consecutive days can significantly increase the level of high-density lipoprotein in the human body. This type of lipoprotein can remove low-density lipoprotein deposited on the blood vessel walls and has the effect of preventing atherosclerosis.