There’s no magic plan or formula for keeping your heart healthy. Some heart-related issues can be hereditary, while others are a consequence of lifestyle. That doesn’t mean you can’t be informed or take preventative measures to a better, healthier you. In honor of National Heart Month, we’re bringing you some interesting heart health facts and what you can do to stay heart healthy.
18 Surprising Heart Health Facts
- Your heart pumps about five quarts of blood per minute. That’s 2,000 gallons per day!
- About 20% of blood flow goes directly to your kidneys.
- About 15% of blood flow goes to your brain.
- The earliest known case of heart disease is from a 3,500-year-old Egyptian mummy.
- Heart cancer is very rare. Because your heart cells stop dividing early in life, you’re less likely to get cancer-causing mutations.
- Visceral fat that you store around your organs and midsection can increase your risk of heart disease.
- Studies have shown that the high level of caffeine in energy drinks can cause heart palpitations.
- Researchers have found an association between vitamin D deficiency and heart disease, as well as depression, osteoporosis, diabetes, and cancer.
- Is a broken heart real? Science suggests that, actually, it is. Sadness and emotional trauma can release stress hormones into your bloodstream, putting you at an increased risk for a heart attack.
- Couples’ hearts are shown to form synchronized heart beats, suggesting that romantically involved people are linked on a physiological level.
- Researchers have found that happy people could be 22% less likely to develop heart disease.
- Eating a Mediterranean diet (plant-based foods and monosaturated fats) can lower blood pressure and help prevent heart-related problems.
- Developing a meditation or relaxation routine can help lower stress levels and risk of heart attack.
- Up to two glasses of wine per day can protect your heart against artery damage, due to its antioxidants and resveratrol.
- You can help lower plaque build-up in your arteries by drinking half a glass of pomegranate juice paired with three dates.
- The first open-heart surgery was performed by Daniel Hale Williams in 1893.
- In recent years, doctors have developed minimally invasive surgeries and catheter techniques to help repair your heart without so much recovery time, and long hospital stays.
- Scientists are finding ways to regrow heart tissue that has been damaged through a non-coding ribonucleic acid (ncRNA).
What are you doing to help your heart this month? Maybe a new travel assignment could get it beating a little faster? Check out what we have available:
