The famous 19th century French physician Cassanis once said:Man and arteries live the same life. That is, when the blood vessels are young, the person is young, and the blood vessels are old, and the person is old.

A study published in The Lancet found that the Tramane people have the healthiest blood vessels on record. And one of the secrets to keeping your blood vessels “younger” is to exercise 6 hours a day.

The Chumane people are self-sufficient in their way of life. In order to support themselves, they basically go out for fruit picking and hunting every day, so their physical activity time is generally longer.

Does this mean that exercising is good for vascular health? But for the elderly, the physical strength has declined, and the easiest and healthy way to exercise is to walk. Can insisting on walking protect the health of blood vessels?

First, after the age of 65, there is a high incidence of cardiovascular disease

According to the “China Cardiovascular Health and Disease Report 2020” report, the number of cardiovascular patients in China has reached 330 million, and the mortality rate ranks first, accounting for 46.66% and 43.81% of the total deaths in rural and urban areas, respectively.

Recently, a review published in “JACC” sorted out the risk factors of coronary artery in young and middle-aged people, and concluded that there are 3 changes in cardiovascular life:

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Stage 1: 25-45 years old, low risk

There are only a few people in this stage There is an extreme risk, about 5%-15% of people develop early disease, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, changes in heart structure, etc.

Stage 2: 45-65 years with subclinical disease

this The age group is generally at moderate risk, with 20% to 40% of people suffering from subclinical disease, influenced by lifestyle, and starting to gradually develop cardiovascular health risk factors.

Stage 3: After age 65, cardiovascular events begin

at this age People generally face cardiovascular risk, 60%-80% have subclinical cardiovascular disease, and 15% have clinical events.

In the “China Cardiovascular Health and Disease Report”, it is pointed out that the factors affecting cardiovascular disease The main factors include:

I love smoking: The overall smoking rate in my country is 26.6%, and the tar and nicotine in the smoke will increase the Stimulates blood vessels, causing spasmodic changes to damage blood vessels.

Unreasonable dietary structure: Chinese residents’ grains, coarse grains, aquatic products, soybeans, milk, etc. The intake is much lower than the recommended amount, while the average intake of oil and salt is higher than the recommended amount.

Sedentary: 30% of Chinese people exercise less than once a month. People who don’t like to exercise, cholesterol and fat are easy to deposit on the blood vessel wall, forming arterial plaque over time.

Depression: Research shows that the prevalence of depression in Chinese hospitalized patients with coronary heart disease is 51%. Depression affects systemic hormonal regulation, which in turn affects cardiac function and worsens the disease.

2. Can the elderly keep walking to protect blood vessels?

Exercise is a major way to prevent cardiovascular disease. How effective is it for the elderly? A study published in “PLOS Medicine” from the University of Oxford in the UK found that with more exercise, you can gain more health.

Data from the UK Biobank, 90,211 participants without cardiovascular disease, recorded their physical activity levels, It was found that with increasing activity levels, the risk of cardiovascular disease continued to decrease.

Similarly, the JAMA study found that participants who walked 8,000 steps a day were less likely to have cardiovascular disease than those who walked 4,000 steps a day and cancer mortality was significantly reduced. Although this is an observational study, there are physical benefits to being active every day.

In addition, the elderly can also reap these benefits by insisting on walking:

1. Improve chronic diseases

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Published in the top medical journal “Annals of Internal Medicine” from Yale University in the United States evaluated 1,635 elderly people aged 70-89, and found that< strong>Elderly people who are ambulatory are about 25% less likely to suffer from chronic diseases.

2. Control blood sugar levels

A 2016 study of people with type 2 diabetes found that taking a walk after eating 12% lower overall postprandial blood glucose than those who walked at other times.

3. Reduced risk of heart disease

Regular exercise can lower blood pressure and LDL cholesterol, while reducing the risk of stroke or heart attack.

4, Control of Hypertension

A study published by the Third Hospital of Peking University in the Journal of Clinical Hypertension found that after 3 months of brisk walking, most people blood pressure dropped by about 2-3mmHg.

Third, to prevent cardiovascular disease, you might as well stick to it These 3 things

Cardiovascular disease is the disease with the highest fatality rate among all diseases. Irregular work and rest, unstable mood, and bad eating habits also have a great impact on cardiovascular disease. Therefore, for middle-aged and elderly people after the age of 50, in addition to exercising, it is also important to do these three things well:

1. Regular and healthy diet

To prevent cardiovascular disease, attention should be paid to calorie intake and saturated fatty acid intake, which can promote atherosclerosis , the diet should be light. In order to prevent the occurrence of diseases, it is recommended to eat more vegetables, fruits, whole grains, etc., and reduce the intake of refined carbohydrates.

To prevent cardiovascular disease, The best diets are the Mediterranean and DASH diets,ie low-fat, high-fiber diets.

2. Regular sleep

Regular sleep is not about getting enough sleep for 7 or 8 hours , it is called the timing rule. The rule of life should be timing and fixed point. Staying up late can easily disrupt the biological clock and affect the health of the whole body. Regular work and rest, should fall asleep at 11:00 every night.

3. Relax

Published in JAMA from Emory University, USA Dr. Viola Vaccarino and his team found that mental stress was significantly associated with a 150% increased risk of cardiovascular disease-related death, or non-fatal myocardial infarction.

It can be seen that maintaining a good mood is also the key to preventing cardiovascular disease. Laughing more, relaxing and reducing stress can make blood circulation smoother and keep blood pressure stable.

Cardiovascular disease is closely related to lifestyle, physical and mental health, etc. Might as well start by moving and walking.

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