Cardiologist lists ways to prevent cardiovascular disease

At least 2.5-5 hours per week of moderate physical activity, as well as the predominance of vegetable rather than animal food in the diet, will reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). This was reported to "Izvestia" on November 19 by cardiologist, functional diagnostician, Candidate of Medical Sciences, leading specialist of the network of clinics "Semeynaya" Elena Golikova.

"Given the role of physical activity in reducing cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, adults of any age should strive for the following level of load: at least 2.5-5 hours per week of moderate physical activity or at least 1.25-2.5 hours per week of intense physical activity. And even if it is impossible to fulfill these recommendations, any increase in daily activity will still be useful to reduce the risk of CVD," she explained.

According to the expert, a healthy diet is considered the basis of cardiovascular disease prevention. Golikova recommended that the diet should favor more vegetable rather than animal food, and saturated fatty acids should be replaced by poly- and monounsaturated ones, as well as carbohydrates from whole grains.

"Saturated fatty acids should provide less than 10% of the total calorie content of food," the doctor specified.

The cardiologist advised to consume a minimum amount of trans fats, especially from highly processed foods, less than 5 g of salt per day, 30-45 g of fiber per day and more than 200 g of vegetables.

"The amount of red meat should not exceed 350-500 g per week, especially highly processed meat (sausage, sausages, etc.). It is also recommended to consume fish, especially fatty fish, once or twice a week. It is desirable to consume 30 g of unsalted nuts per day, and the amount of alcohol should not exceed 100 g per week," Golikova added.

In October, Elvina Binatova, endocrinologist and nutritionist at SM-Clinica, told Izvestia about products that can help prevent vascular disease. Among them, she mentioned red yeast rice, garlic, coffee and green tea.