We all know the famous saying, “You are what you eat”. While this may seem trivial there is actually a lot of truth to it.
As a result many of us are focused on the foods to avoid. It is common knowledge that foods high in saturated fats for example are bad for our heart.
However, there are also foods that can have the opposite effect. One expert spoke exclusively with Express.co.uk about a popular vegetable that could be eaten daily to help boost heart health.
Doctor Deborah Lee, from the Dr Fox Online Pharmacy, recommended adding plenty of garlic to your meals for this very reason.
It is high in antioxidants, which can help improve blood flow, support the growth of new blood vessels and even prevent atherosclerosis – the deposition of fatty plaques in arterial walls, she said.
Dr Lee explained: “Garlic achieves these cardioprotective effects by improving the cholesterol profile, inhibiting the production of cholesterol in the liver, lowering blood pressure, having anti-clotting effects by suppressing platelet aggregation, increasing fibrinolysis (clot breakdown) and reducing atherosclerosis.”
She referenced a 2022 scientific review on the benefits of garlic, published in Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition.
This concluded that garlic can lower blood pressure, body mass index, waist circumference, “bad” cholesterol, total cholesterol, triglycerides and markers of inflammation.
“It can also raise high density lipoprotein (‘good’ cholesterol) and has been shown to improve other coronary factors such as reduced coronary artery calcification, the coronary artery microcirculation, and lower the amount of epicardial (fat between the heart muscle and the pericardium, the membrane covering the outside of the heart) and periaortic fat (fat around the main artery of the body – the aorta), as well as reducing the thickness of the coronary artery walls,” she said.
“Overall, garlic should be considered a preventative and a treatment for cardiovascular disease (CVD) – this means angina, heart attacks, stroke, peripheral vascular disease and heart failure.”
A separate study from 2016 also found that garlic supplements could reduce systolic (upper reading) blood pressure by 7-16 mmHg, and diastolic (lower reading) blood pressure by 5-9 mm Hg.
Dr Lee continued: “The British Heart Foundation endorses the fact garlic is good for your heart, but they caution not to rely on garlic alone.
“It’s important to consider your diet as a whole and also have a healthy lifestyle, by not smoking, controlling your weight, drinking less alcohol and taking regular physical exercise.”
What are some signs that your heart isn’t as healthy as it should be?
Heart and circulatory diseases account for around a quarter of all deaths in the UK.
Therefore, spotting any of the warning signs is vital.
Dr Lee said: “In the early stages you may have no symptoms, or they can be very mild, such as shortness of breath or mild chest pain when climbing the stairs, or difficulty sleeping when lying down.
“You may feel generally fatigued, have slightly swollen ankles and notice an irregular pulse from time to time. But too often a heart attack or a stroke happens out of the blue.”
“Don’t wait for heart disease to develop. Take the necessary steps to stay healthy and prevent the onset of heart disease.”
She warned of the following symptoms once heart disease is “established”:
- Angina – Pain in the chest often radiating to the left arm and/or the jaw, on exertion, that gets better with rest
- Indigestion or heartburn – This can worsen due to the proximity of the oesophagus to the diseased heart
- A heart attack – This often causes crushing central chest pain, associated with being sweaty, feeling or being sick, feeling light-headed and unwell, and sometimes collapse or loss of consciousness
- Feeling breathless – This may be especially when lying flat due to fluid building up in the lungs is a sign of heart failure. It may be associated with a cough and/or a chest infection
- Pain in the calf muscle when you walk, which gets better with rest – This is called claudication, and this is caused by peripheral artery disease – atherosclerosis blocking the arteries and reducing the flow of oxygenated blood to the leg and the foot.
- A stroke – This can cause sudden headache, face drop on one side of the face, an inability to speak or swallow, loss of function or pins and needles down one side of the body. It can occur with total collapse and loss of consciousness.
She added: “If you have any reason to be concerned about your heart, see your GP without delay.
“You should have your blood pressure checked at least once every five years, and a cholesterol check if you are aged 40 or over, or earlier if you have a history of familial hypercholesterolaemia.”
