As we age, our hearts and blood vessels undergo changes. These changes may increase the risk of heart disease.  While some components of heart disease are genetic, the good news is most are related to lifestyle. Simple changes in your lifestyle can help you avoid, delay, prevent and even reverse your risk.  Advancements in smartphone technology can also help you manage your lifestyle and health safety.

How Your Heart Changes with Age

The most common cardiovascular change that comes with aging is hardening of the walls of the arteries or arteriosclerosis. This hardening causes high blood pressure. In turn, high blood pressure and aging are risk factors for arteriosclerosis, which is hardening of the arteries due to plaque buildup.

Plaque builds up inside the walls of your arteries and, over time, hardens and narrows your arteries, limiting the flow of oxygen-rich blood to your organs and other parts of your body. Oxygen and blood nutrients are supplied to the heart muscle through the coronary arteries. Heart disease develops when plaque builds up in the coronary arteries, reducing blood flow to your heart muscle. Over time, the heart muscle can become weakened and/or damaged, resulting in heart failure. Heart damage can be caused by heart attacks, long-standing hypertension and diabetes, and chronic heavy alcohol use.

Age can cause other changes to the heart. For example:

• There are age-related changes in the electrical system that can lead to arrhythmias—a rapid, slowed, or irregular heartbeat—and/or the need for a pacemaker. Valves—the one-way, door-like parts that open and close to control blood flow between the chambers of your heart—may become thicker and stiffer. Stiffer valves can limit the flow of blood out of the heart and become leaky, both of which can cause fluid to build up in the lungs or in the body (legs, feet, and abdomen).
• The chambers of your heart may increase in size. The heart wall thickens, so the amount of blood that a chamber can hold may decrease despite the increased overall heart size. The heart may fill more slowly. Long-standing hypertension is the leading cause of increased heart wall thickness, which can increase the risk of atrial fibrillation, a common heart rhythm problem in older people.
• With increasing age, people become more sensitive to salt, which may cause an increase in blood pressure and/or ankle or foot swelling (edema).

What Is Heart Disease?

Heart disease is caused by atherosclerosis, which is the buildup of fatty deposits, or plaques, in the walls of the coronary arteries over many years. The coronary arteries surround the outside of the heart and supply blood nutrients and oxygen to the heart muscle. When plaque builds up inside the arteries, there is less space for blood to flow normally and deliver oxygen to the heart. If blood flow to your heart is reduced by plaque buildup or blocked if a plaque suddenly ruptures, it can cause angina (chest pain or discomfort) or a heart attack. When the heart muscle does not get enough oxygen and blood nutrients, the heart muscle cells will die (heart attack) and weaken the heart, diminishing its ability to pump blood to the rest of the body.

Early heart disease often doesn't have symptoms, or the symptoms may be barely noticeable. That's why regular checkups with your doctor are essential.

If you feel any chest pain, pressure, or discomfort, contact your physician immediately. However, chest pain is a less common sign of heart disease as it progresses, so be aware of other symptoms. Tell your doctor if you have:

Arrhythmia issues are much more common in older adults than younger people. See a doctor if you feel a fluttering in your chest or have the feeling that your heart is skipping a beat or beating too hard, especially if you are weaker than usual, dizzy, tired, or get short of breath when active. Arrhythmia needs to be treated.

If you have any signs of heart disease, your doctor may send you to a cardiologist.

What Can I Do to Prevent Heart Disease?

There are many steps you can take to keep your heart healthy.

Try to be more physically active. Talk with your doctor about the type of activities that would be best for you. If possible, aim to get at least 150 minutes of physical activity each week. Every day is best. It doesn't have to be done all at once.

Start by doing activities you enjoy—brisk walking, dancing, bowling, bicycling, or gardening, for example. Avoid spending hours every day sitting. 

If you smoke, quit. Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death. Smoking adds to the damage to artery walls. It's never too late to get some benefit from quitting smoking. Even in later life, quitting can lower your risk of heart disease, stroke, and cancer over time.

Follow a heart-healthy diet. Choose foods low in trans and saturated fats, added sugars, and salt. As we get older, we become more sensitive to salt, which can cause swelling in the legs and feet. Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, and foods high in fiber, like those made from whole grains. You can find information on the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) eating plan and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Patterns.

Keep a healthy weight. Balancing the calories you eat and drink with the calories burned by being physically active helps to maintain a healthy weight. You can maintain a healthy weight by limiting portion size and being physically active. 

Keep your diabetes, high blood pressure, and/or high cholesterol under control. Follow your doctor's advice to manage these conditions, and take medications as directed.

Don't drink a lot of alcohol. Men should not have more than two drinks a day and women only one. One drink is equal to:

• One 12-ounce can or bottle of regular beer, ale, or wine cooler
• One 8- or 9-ounce can or bottle of malt liquor
• One 5-ounce glass of red or white wine
• One 1.5-ounce shot glass of distilled spirits like gin, rum, tequila, vodka, or whiskey

Manage stress. Learn how to manage stress, relax, and cope with problems to improve physical and emotional health. Consider activities such as a stress management program, meditation, physical activity, and talking things out with friends or family.

Smartphone Apps

We live in an age of continuous technological advancement. Every day, new smart phone apps are being developed to help us track and manage our health. These are some of the top-rated cardiac health apps available.

Questions to Ask Your Doctor

Ask your doctor questions to learn more about your risk for heart disease and what to do about it. Learn what you can do if you are at increased risk or already have a heart problem.

1. What is my risk for heart disease?
2. What is my blood pressure?
3. What are my cholesterol numbers? (These include total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, and triglycerides.) Make sure your doctor has checked a fasting blood sample to determine your cholesterol levels.
4. Do I need to lose weight for my health?
5. What is my blood sugar level, and does it mean that I'm at risk for diabetes?
6. What other screening tests do I need to tell me if I'm at risk for heart disease and how to lower my risk?
7. What can you do to help me quit smoking?
8. How much physical activity do I need to help protect my heart?
9. What's a heart-healthy eating plan for me?
10. How can I tell if I'm having a heart attack? If I think I'm having one, what should I do?

Source: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

If you have heart disease or risk factors, HomeSpark can help you manage healthy lifestyle choices by providing heart healthy meals, helping you to stay active and by providing you transportation to medical appointments.

To learn more about HomeSpark, visit www.homesparkcare.com.

To learn more about making heart-healthy lifestyle changes, visit the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.