The stiffness of the vascular wall can tell the health of the blood vessel . It can help determine the risk of developing heart and blood vessel disease in an individual. As summer progresses, the blood vessel loses its elasticity and begins to stiffen - it increases systolic pressure and the heart is more burdened. Other factors that contribute to vascular stiffness include high blood pressure or diabetes in addition to age. The decrease in vascular stiffness is therefore associated with lower cardiovascular risk. There are different ways to protect your blood vessels - from lifestyle to drug treatment.
Take care of the right diet
If you want to improve your blood vessel stiffness, remember the following tips:
Reduce salt intake. A large amount of salt accelerates changes in the vascular wall and increases its stiffness. On the contrary, diets with reduced salt content in the elderly increase vascular compliance.
Consume fish oil. This substance slows down the process of artery healing (atherosclerosis) and the growth of atherosclerotic plaques.
Eat more garlic. Some studies reveal that long-term intake of garlic may reduce the stiffness of blood vessels.
Do not add food supplements . Some of these products affect vascular compliance in patients with high blood lipid levels in the blood. Probably because they reduce the level of triacylglycerides and LDL-cholesterol. These include clover isoflavones or non-steroidal plant substances in soybeans.
Alcohol drink with measure. Moderate alcohol consumption can help reduce vascular stiffness.
A few kilo down helps
A large proportion of the population suffers from uncomplicated obesity . Often overweight is part of so-called metabolic syndrome. It further includes higher cholesterol and triacylglycerides, higher blood sugar and high blood pressure. If metabolic syndrome patients manage to reduce their body weight, there is usually a significant improvement in their status.
Practice regularly
By increasing physical activity, vascular elasticity improves. For trained people, the vascular wall becomes stiffer. If a person has a higher rigidity of the vessel wall, regular aerobic activity - such as walking or running 40 minutes a day - improves the flexibility of the vessel wall. In addition, the mechanisms that cause these changes seem to persist after training. Therefore, at least a moderate exercise is required to run for at least 30 minutes each day.
Source: U lékaře.cz