The cold and cardiovascular health

In this post we tell you how the cold and cardiovascular health are connected. During the winter, thecold temperaturescan affect your cardiovascular health because they increase your blood pressure, make you more susceptible to blood clots and raise your cholesterol. These risk factors are also affected by other environmental factors such as air pollution and having an unhealthy lifestyle with little physical activity and a poor diet.

How does the cold affect your cardiovascular health?

In low temperatures, the sympathetic nervous system is activated, increasing the secretion of the hormone responsible for raising your heart rate (catecholamine), which increases your cardiac output and raises your blood pressure.

This increase, combined with a decrease in the size of the coronary arteries and the vessels in the brain due to the cold, can lead to a heart attack or stroke, depending on where the blockage occurs.

On top of this, at this time of year, thebody’s defences are weakened and you are more susceptible to flu or even pneumonia, whose respiratory complicationsexacerbate cardiovascular problems.

Prevention and taking care of your heart in the winter.

Now that you know about the link between the cold and cardiovascular health, you should take steps to take better care of your heart:

• Exercising for at least 30 minutes a day on average is vital for minimising cardiovascular risk, as it promotes blood circulation and oxygenation, helps to burn fat and maintain a healthy weight, and also helps to boost the immune system.
• Avoid sudden changes in temperature and wrap up warm to protect yourself from the cold, especially when entering and leaving heated places.
• Avoid consuming saturated fats as, generally speaking, people tend to eat more of these during the winter, causing more blood to accumulate in the stomach during digestion and, as a result, reducing the body’s blood flow and increasing the risk of suffering from angina pectoris, atherosclerosis or heart attacks.
• Look after your diet and eat foods that help to lower cholesterol, like omega-3 and -6 fatty acids, which are found in olive oil, oily fish and nuts.
• Eat foods that are rich in vitamins C and D, which strengthen the body’s defences and lower the risk of hypertension and diabetes.
• Boost your diet with natural food supplements that are high in antioxidants, like Keriba Duo, which contains hydroxytyrosol and punicalagins (MEDITEANOX® and POMANOX®), powerful antioxidant compounds that help to lower cholesterol and protect cardiovascular health.