In January 2022, Nature Reviews Cardiology, a sub-journal of Nature, published a major review, pointing out that childhood exposure to cardiovascular risk factors is prone to preclinical atherosclerosis in adulthood sclerosis-like phenotype and increased risk of cardiovascular disease-related events. ①

In fact, when a person is born, the inner wall of the arteries Smooth and elastic, however, this does not mean that young blood vessels can be as smooth as ever. In general, the onset of atherosclerosis actually begins in childhood.

Wang Fang, chief physician of the Cardiology Department of Beijing Hospital, said at an event in 2017, “Through autopsies of some children, we found that From the age of seven or eight, something has gradually deposited in the blood vessels, and at first only lipid streaks were formed.” ③

However, “we The heart is very strong, and usually only needs 25% to supply blood, so often when the blood vessels are narrowed to more than 75%, it may affect the blood supply to the heart muscle.” Wang Fang said in an interview with Health Times in 2020. ④

1. Overnutrition

Children in their teens eat too much oil, coupled with excessive intake of high-fat and high-sugar snacks, excessive absorption of sugar and oil will lead to more and more lipids in the blood vessels, rising Blood levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglycerides. These substances can deposit on blood vessels and form atherosclerotic plaques.

2. Too little exercise

Exercise can promote blood circulation and help the body expel metabolic waste. Children who do not like sports not only have slow blood circulation, but also tend to accumulate more fat in the body, which is easy to increase the fat streaks in the blood vessels.

3. Obesity

A study published in The Lancet Child and Adolescent Health in 2019 shows that the arteries of obese adolescents begin to stiffen in their teens.

High arterial stiffness is a clear signal of atherosclerosis, which increases the incidence of myocardial infarction, stroke and cardiovascular disease mortality . ⑤

After adulthood, bad habits accelerate blood vessel blockage!

Professor Hu Dayi, a well-known cardiovascular expert, said in an interview with Health Times in 2013 that some bad habits make some people start to accumulate cholesterol on the walls of blood vessels when they are young. In the rapid development of atherosclerosis, more and more garbage is deposited on the blood vessel wall, just like making dumplings. Clinical symptoms will appear. ⑥

Professor Wang Fang also talked about in a popular science activity in 2017 that the average female is 55 years old and the male is 45 years old and later, Aging begins to really come, the rate of vascular plaque deposition will accelerate, and the blood vessel wall will become thicker and thicker. ③

If you stay up late, don’t rest, rely on smoking to refresh yourself or drink a lot, you will experience sympathetic excitement in the body, which will increase heart rate and blood pressure. High, causing plaque rupture, prompting thrombosis, rapid closure of blood vessels, resulting in serious disability and death consequences.

1. Chronic stress

Nowadays, young and middle-aged people are too busy and have been in high-pressure and stressful work for a long time. Huang Jinyu, chief physician of the Department of Cardiology of Hangzhou First People’s Hospital, said in an interview with Health Times in 2016 that high-pressure and high-intensity work and often staying up late At this time, the body’s biological clock may be disrupted, and the sympathetic nerves are in a state of excitation for a long time, resulting in excessive secretion of epinephrine and norepinephrine in the body, which in turn leads to vasoconstriction, blood pressure and blood sugar rise, and accelerates the process of atherosclerosis. ⑦

2. Staying up late for a long time

A February 2019 study in the journal Nature found that sleep deprivation increases inflammatory cells, a major cause of atherosclerosis. They did experiments with mice and found that compared with other mice, the sleep-deprived mice had progressively larger arterial plaques and levels of certain inflammatory cells, such as monocytes and neutrophils, in the blood vessels. twice that of normal mice. ⑧

3. Long-term smoking

People who smoke regularly, smoking causes damage to the blood vessel wall, which gives a breeding ground for cholesterol deposition and accelerates the production of plaque. ⑨

4. Prolonged sedentary

< span>Zhang Qiang, chief physician of the Department of Orthopedics of Beijing Ditan Hospital, published an article in Health Times in 2017, saying that people who sit for a long time and move less will slow down blood circulation, increase blood viscosity, and weaken myocardial contraction. Over time, arteriosclerosis, coronary heart disease, etc. will accompany come. ⑩

5. Chronic disease, obesity

People with high blood pressure, diabetes or abnormal blood sugar, and people with obesity are all at high risk of atherosclerosis.

These actions help improve hardening of the arteries!

1. Improve living habits

Talking about the carotid artery Plaque, Guo Yifang, vice president of Hebei Provincial People’s Hospital, said in an article in Health Times in 2016 that first of all, it is necessary to improve lifestyle, that is, to control diet, improve dietary structure, increase exercise, lose weight, quit smoking and limit alcohol. These measures will help. It is used to lower cholesterol levels in the blood and prevent further growth or growth of plaques. ⑪

For example, keeping your mouth shut, you can avoid high-fat diets, reduce the intake of staple foods, and increase the intake of high-protein and high-fiber . ⑨

2. Control chronic diseases well

Secondly, Professor Guo Yifang said that if you have high blood pressure or diabetes, To actively and reasonably control blood pressure and blood sugar. Both high blood pressure and diabetes are important factors that contribute to the formation of atherosclerotic plaques. ⑪

3. Be sure to keep exercising

In the article “Research Progress on the Reversal Mechanism of Atherosclerotic Plaque by Exercise”, experiments have shown that exercise can prevent plaque growth and induce the reversal of coronary artery wall stenosis. ⑫

The Guidelines for Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease in China also pointed out that for elderly patients, 12 weeks of low-to-medium-intensity physical activity will reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. The effect of improving elasticity is obvious. Aerobic exercise 2-3 times a week for 20-30 minutes each time can also help reduce systolic blood pressure. ⑬

It is recommended that if your body allows, you can exercise for no less than 30 minutes each time, exercise at least 5 times a week, and exercise heart rate each time Subtract the age from 170, and the value obtained is the maximum exercise heart rate, which should not be exceeded. Generally speaking, it is advisable to sweat slightly after exercise, breathe slightly faster but feel comfortable without obvious fatigue.

Editor: Ren Xuan

Reviewer: Yang Xiaoming