MUMBAI – In a world focused on heart-healthy diets and fitness regimens, a leading cardiologist is urging the public to look at often-overlooked factors that can significantly impact cardiovascular health. In a recent social media post, Dr. Dmitry Yaranov, an expert in advanced heart failure and heart transplantation, shared six key areas he believes are “actually affecting your heart,” moving beyond the traditional advice of just “exercise and salads.”
Dr. Yaranov’s warning serves as a call to action, emphasizing that a truly healthy heart depends on a holistic approach to lifestyle. His insights come from treating thousands of patients and underscore a growing medical consensus that environmental and behavioral factors are as critical as diet and exercise.
The Silent Threats to Your Heart
According to Dr. Yaranov, these six factors are often ignored but play a crucial role in cardiovascular disease:
• Chronic Sleep Deprivation: Consistently getting less than six hours of sleep a night can lead to serious health problems. Sleep loss raises the risk of heart failure, stroke, and even sudden death by stressing the body and increasing inflammation and stress hormones like cortisol.
• Air Pollution Exposure: In a blunt assessment, Dr. Yaranov states that “air pollution literally hardens your arteries.” Scientific research supports this, showing that long-term exposure to pollutants, particularly fine particulate matter (PM2.5), contributes to the development and progression of atherosclerosis—the buildup of plaque in artery walls.
• Stress and Cortisol Overload: Constant stress and an overworked “pushing through” mentality can lead to high levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Chronic cortisol overload is linked to high blood pressure and systemic inflammation, both of which are major risk factors for heart disease.
• Gum Disease: An unhealthy mouth can be a warning sign for an unhealthy heart. Gum disease triggers inflammation that can spread throughout the body, causing the narrowing of arteries and a higher risk of heart attacks.
• Limited Access to Healthy Food: For individuals living in “food deserts” with limited access to nutritious options, cardiac outcomes are often worse, regardless of their willpower to eat healthily. A diet lacking in fruits, vegetables, and whole foods is a leading risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
• Poor Gut Health: The gut microbiome, a complex community of microorganisms in the digestive tract, helps regulate blood pressure and cholesterol. An unhealthy gut can lead to an imbalance in these bacteria, producing chemicals that increase cholesterol deposition and arterial stiffness, thereby raising the risk of plaque buildup.
Dr. Yaranov’s message is clear: cardiovascular health is a matter of fixing the “foundation.” He urges people to focus on improving their sleep, managing stress, being mindful of their environment, and considering their overall lifestyle not just the numbers on a scale.