More people have a heart attack during fall and winter months than at any other time of the year, and Thanksgiving marks the start of this risky season. Are you looking forward to that Thanksgiving feast? Read on to find out how you can prevent a heart attack first.
Are You Really More Likely To Have A Heart Attack On Thanksgiving?
Have you heard that your Thanksgiving meal can induce a heart attack? There is no doubt that you want to find out if that is a mere rumor, or a scientific fact. The truth is a little less straight forward than you may have hoped for. In short, though, some people may indeed be at a higher risk of both having a heart attack and dying of one on Thanksgiving day.
Research suggests that your risk of having a heart attack peaks in the first two hours after a heavy meal, and especially a high-fat, high-cholesterol meal just like the one you're likely to eat on Thanksgiving. Hormones released as the digestive system starts working can make your blood pressure shoot up and can cause cholesterol plaques on your arterial walls to rupture. Food high in saturated fats may also negatively impact the function of the lining of the arteries. Those people who already have heart disease face the highest risk of having a heart attack after an unusually large meal.
The risk of dying from a heart attack also goes up during the fall and winter, starting with — you guessed it — Thanksgiving! Scientists have ruled colder temperatures out as a cause of this danger, and have instead pinpointed precisely the holidays as the reason more people have heart attacks and die from them. It is not quite clear if stress or diet are to blame for this alarming rise. Both stress and terribly unhealthy can be avoided, and you can definitely take concrete steps to bring your risk of a heart attack down.
Walk Before Your Thanksgiving Meal
Processing huge unhealthy meals is pretty hard on the digestive system, and triglycerides (a type of fat) are particularly problematic because they are really good at penetrating arterial walls. The body uses triglycerides for energy, so you do need some. You get too many triglycerides in bloodstream if you eat more calories than you can burn, have uncontrolled diabetes, or are already obese.
Your triglyceride levels peak within half an hour of eating a big meal like the one you are likely to enjoy on Thanksgiving day, but research suggests that you can prevent this sudden spike by working out for 30 minutes 12 hours (!!!) before your huge meal. A brisk walk will do the trick, but other forms of cardio exercise like swimming or jogging are good choices as well. Are you the person resposible for Thanksgiving shopping in your family? Do you run last-minute errands on the day that involve a lot of walking? You may already be getting that recommended pre-meal exercise quite naturally. If not, make sure to add it.
Feast On A Healthy Thanksgiving Meal
A Thanksgiving feast can easily lead you to eat in excess of 4,000 calories — about double the amount of calories you should usually eat in a day. Not only are most Thanksgiving meals simply too big, they also tend to be to be full of cholesterol-rich saturated fats and low on nutrients.
Some people eat high-cholesterol meals that would fit that description all the time, but the holiday season that Thanksgiving ushers in places folks who normally make an effort to eat healthily at risk as well. Steer clear of the temptation to binge on food, and be responsible.
Anyone hosting a Thanksgiving dinner has a special duty to offer healthy food to their guests as well, I think. Turkey breast in itself is pretty healthy — there is lots of protein and little fat, plus lots of vitamins and minerals. Just make sure you keep it low fat, and you'll be fine. You could also consider bringing plates with portions in from the kitchen, rather than allowing your guests to take as much as they want. If you are going to serve an unhealthy, huge dinner, you may as well consider getting a reanimation kit to go along with it. Remember that the first two hours after the meal are the riskiest!
Avoid Stress
There is no doubt that the holiday season is terribly stressful on a lot of people. There are many reasons for that, including the stress of hosting dinners, the financial strain that goes along with the “happiest time of the year”, and the way in which holidays remind you or your own possibly traumatic childhood.
It is well-established that unusually high stress levels can contribute to your risk of having a heart attack, so finding a stress-relief method that really works for you is definitely very important. Sometimes, simply acknowledging that you are stressed, and talking it over with your partner or a friend will alleviate a lot of the stress. In other cases, eliminating the cause of your stress is the solution. If hosting a Thanksgiving dinner has you trembling, just don't do it. Stay in with just your immediate family instead. If you have long-term issues to work through, see a therapist if possible.
Exercise drives out stress for many people, and regular work-outs also reduce your overall chance of having a heart attack. If you are not currently getting enough physical activity, don't wait for the new year to make a resolution — commit to moving your body for 30 minutes a day right now! Remember, it doesn't have to be "exercise" to be movement. Gardening, walking to the store, doing chores, and chasing your kids around the playground do all count, too.
A Healthy Lifestyle The Rest Of The Year
Age, gender, and family history are some heart attack risk factors that you have no control over. There are many other risk factors that you can be proactive about avoiding — smoking, obesity, high cholesterol levels, a sedentary lifestyle, stress, and hypertension are all factors that you can influence positively.
Do you have any of the heart attack risk factors I just mentioned? Take this opportunity to make an appointment with your doctor now, and discuss how you can lead a healthier life. Thanksgiving may be a hazard, but eliminating risk factors by living healthily the rest of the year is still the best way to prevent a Thanksgiving heart attack.
Sources & Links
- Photo courtesy of myklroventine on Flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/myklroventine/2235024708