A heart attack is a serious medical emergency whereby the supply of blood to the heart is suddenly blocked, usually by a blood clot. Heart attack symptoms must be acted on as soon as they appear to minimise the damage inflicted on the heart muscle. Unfortunately, ignorance of the range of heart attack symptoms causes life-threatening delays.
How to prevent a heart attack
Making lifestyle changes is the most effective way to prevent having a heart attack (or having another heart attack).
Eating an unhealthy diet that is high in fat is one of the worst offenders.
The NHS explains: “Eating an unhealthy diet that is high in fat will make hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis) worse and increase your risk of a heart attack.”
The health body continues: “Continuing to eat high-fat foods will cause more fatty plaques to build up in your arteries.”
“But just replacing saturated fat with refined carbohydrates, like sugary foods and drinks, won’t improve your health,” notes the BHF.
“Replacing it with unsaturated fats such as oily fish, nuts, or vegetable oils like rapeseed or sunflower oil, does seem to reduce your risk of heart attack and stroke.”
Many of the components can be found in a Mediterranean-style diet.
The Mediterranean diet is high in vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, beans, cereals, grains, fish, and unsaturated fats such as olive oil. It usually includes a low intake of meat and dairy foods.