A Heart Health Message from Professor Jeff Reading, PhD, FNHA/SFU/St. Paul's Heart Health Chair

February is Heart Health Month -- an opportunity and a challenge for all of us to think about how we can make a difference in our lives by improving our heart health. This is important, as heart disease is a leading cause of illness and can be fatal, yet it is mostly preventable.

The body needs all of its parts to function well. So when we think about our heart health, and overall well-being, we also need to think about our brain --and a lot of other stuff in between! Put simply, the brain, like the rest of our body, depends on the oxygen and energy provided by our heart's cardio-vascular system (with some help from our lungs). Healthy functioning of these systems, working together, plays a crucial role not only in preventing heart disease and stroke but also ensures good heart health overall. We need to take care of the whole system!

Although we don't always think about the connection between the heart and the brain, the fact is, they need to work together to assure that we are not only physically well and strong, but also mentally well and happy. In other words, what we do for our heart, we also do for our brain. What we do to change our mental outlook is a critical factor in our overall health and wellness, including that of our heart.

For years, physicians thought the link between mental health and heart health was only behavioural. For example, a person who is feeling depressed or down may seek relief by smoking, drinking or eating fatty or sugary foods, which can negatively affect their heart health. This line of thought is changing. Today, research is showing that there are physiological, biological and chemical connections to certain behaviours and mental health issues, and that these same factors could influence heart disease.

Last year, an 11-year study of 33,908 healthy adults showed that regular low-level exercise could reduce rates of future / new-onset depression (TheAmerican Journal of Psychiatry, October 2017). The same study showed that 12% of future cases of depression could have been prevented if all participants had engaged in at least one hour of physical activity each week. The take-home message: making even moderate changes to our individual levels of exercise may have important mental health benefits and even prevent a substantial number of new cases of depression. This has the dual impact of improving both mental health and heart health.

In addition to choosing to be more active, life-improving decisions could also include making healthier food choices such as reducing sugar, salt and fat consumption; increasing consumption of vegetables, fruits, beans, lentils, lean protein, nuts, seeds and whole grains;  reducing or eliminating tobacco and alcohol consumption; and seeing a health professional regularly for heart health check-ups. These are all excellent changes that will not only benefit us as individuals but will enable us to positively influence our families, children and friends by being good examples.

So, for Heart Health Month, here is a Heart Health Challenge: pick two or three things from the list below that you can do to improve your heart health, and think about how you can make these changes part of your daily routine.

1. Walk at least one hour once per week during February (preferably outside, and always in a safe place, and increase this physical activity to three times per week as you feel able. (Take a rest or break if needed, and bring water and a healthy snack along.)
2. Reduce sugar and sweets; find alternatives to sugary drinks and desserts.
3. Have a health professional check your blood pressure.
4. If you smoke commercial tobacco, learn more about the unhealthy physical and mental effects and access available supports to begin the process of quitting or at least reducing: see http://www.fnha.ca/respectingtobacco.
5. Consider the unhealthy physical and mental effects of alcohol consumption and begin the process of quitting or at least reducing.
6. Reduce emotional stress by engaging in any healthy recreational or leisure activity that makes you feel good – a simple way to lower the risk of heart disease!

Any one of these changes is a start! The more the better! There are many other things you could do to take care of your heart and your brain!  Share your ideas with a friend and have fun getting healthier together!

Have a happy, healthy Heart Health Month –- and keep your new habits going into future months. Remember that every journey begins with a single step, or decision, and believe that you can do it.

Yours in Wellness,

Prof. Jeff Reading, PhD

Enter the challenge contest!