How the Heart Changes With the Process of Aging
Just like everything else pertaining to your body and aging, the heart can undergo a variety of changes as well. These changes can be different depending upon the individual. For instance you probably have a hard time figuring out why one person who is older can take on running marathons when someone the same age can barely get up out of a chair. This all has to do how each individual heart ages. It has been discovered that a lot of the changes that occur have a lot to do with the individuals lifestyle.
As we get older, changes in our heart are going to happen, it is imply unavoidable. Even when the heart is completely free of disease the walls of a person's heart is going to somewhat thicken. The heart is going to be slower in it's heart rate and the maximum rate will decline. The hear won't be able to pump as effectively as it did when a person was younger either. Some believe that this is due more to the fact that the heart is simply trying to adjust for the changes in the body due to the aging process and that the heart isn't really declining in it's ability.
As the years pile on, the heart cannot relax as quickly as it did when we were younger so this will cause the heart to slow down and will not be able to pump the blood slower and the heart does not fill as quickly as it once did. The heart then is unable to keep up with the demands of exercising.
The arteries which are the vessels that transport the blood away from our hearts will also become stiffer and the walls too will get thicker, which will make the diameter of the arteries bigger. This is generally referred to as atherosclerosis which can lead to stroke and some heart disease. Some of the things that will help increase this would be high blood pressure, too high of cholesterol, being overweight and smoking.
It has been proven that a person's physical fitness and ability to stay fit will decline anywhere from five to 10 percent for each decade of life but does not have to be the case. If a person tries to continue some sort of regular exercise routine, they will help their heart to work more efficient, even if you start up a program when you are older.
If a person's diet contains high amounts of saturated fat and trans fats they are increasing the chance of atherosclerosis and it by switching to a diet with none of these fats or at least a far less amount is going to help stave off those fatty deposits in the arteries that cause this disorder.
To help your heart stay young try promoting good heart healthy by stopping smoking, exercising, eat a diet that is low in trans as well as saturated fats, eat lots of vegetables, fruits and good whole grains, lower the salt in your die, try to keep to a healthy weight and make sure that you check in with your doctor on a regular basis.
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