Prevention

Know your family history. If you don’t then at the next family gathering ask around and find out if there is any history of cardiovascular disease. If you don’t have family get togethers then it’s a great reason to make a few phone calls and keep in touch. After all, as we age, you realise that friends come and go but family is always there. If there is family history then you should make an appointment for a heart health check. Make sure it becomes an annual event and you encourage all the family to do the same. You may be saving a life. Theirs or yours.

Each one of us is the sum of our experiences. The secret is discovering how those experiences interrelate.In 2017-18, just over one in five (22.8% or 4.3 million people) Australians aged 18 years and over had a measured high blood pressure reading. High blood pressure is systolic or diastolic blood pressure equal to or greater than 140/90 mmHg.   This level of the population with high blood pressure has remained unchanged since 2014-15 (23.0%). (5) The recommended blood pressure levels are now 120/80mmHg. 

The proportion of people with hypertension increases with age, particularly from age 35 years. The proportion of people with hypertension tripled from age 35-44 years (4.2%) to 45-54 years (12.9%). The prevalence continued to increase with just over two fifths (41.5%) of all people aged 75 years and over reporting hypertension. (5)

See your doctor or Pharmacist for a Heart Health Check. Regular exercise and the right diet can help reduce blood pressure. Maintain a healthy weight, eat less salt and reduce unhealthy fats. Get the regular checks, your doctor may prescribe some medications to assist.

Cholesterol is produced by the liver or in our diet. It’s possible to have high cholesterol and feel OK. Often with no symptoms or signs. The ABS say 1.5mill people have high cholesterol. 21% of people over 65 have High Cholesterol. Cholesterol is fat that builds up in the blood and can lead to a build up of fatty deposits making it harder for blood to flow. (6)

A good diet and exercise can help reduce cholesterol. Regular checks and blood tests with your doctor can monitor cholesterol levels. Some medications may be prescribed.

In 2017-18, two thirds (67.0%) of Australian adults were overweight or obese (12.5 million people). There was a large increase in those aged 18-24 years with 38.9% overweight or obese in 2014-15 compared with 46.0% in 2017-18. Almost one quarter (24.9%) of children aged 5-17 years were overweight or obese in 2017-18. (7)

In 2017-18, the average waist measurement for adult men was 98.0cm, and for women it was 87.9cm. Three out of five (59.6%) Australian men and two-thirds of Australian women (66.0%) had a measured waist circumference that put them at an increased risk of disease. The Australian Dietary Guidelines recommend maintaining a healthy weight, with a body mass index (BMI) between 18.5 and 24.9 kg/m2 and waist circumference less than 94cm for men and 80cm for women. (3)

Lifestyle, diet and activity levels can help reduce a weight problem. Less processed food and take away foods and more fruit, vegetables, lean protein, nuts and low-fat dairy will help. Exercising for 150 mins a week can make a difference, even better 30 mins a day walking or moderate exercise.

Smoking is associated with an increased risk of a wide range of health conditions, including; heart disease, diabetes, stroke, cancer, renal disease, eye disease and respiratory conditions such as asthma, emphysema and bronchitis. In 2017-18, just under one in seven (13.8%) or 2.6 million adults were daily smokers. (12)



The best advice is don’t smoke. Find a way to give them away. Go “cold turkey”, visit the chemist or see the doctor. Just make it happen.

The old saying “we are what we eat” is pretty well spot on. I think convenience and taste gives us packaged, processed and pre-cooked food. A lot of the time we are getting the calories without the nutrition.

Many experts recommend a “Mediterranean diet” as being the best model for good heart health. If you look at countries around the Mediterranean it seems to be true. People who eat a Mediterranean diet seem to have lower odds of having a heart attack. The foundation of the Mediterranean diet is vegetables, fruits, herbs, nuts, beans and whole grains. Meals are built around these plant-based foods. Moderate amounts of dairy, poultry and eggs are also central to the Mediterranean Diet, as is seafood. In contrast, red meat is eaten only occasionally. (8)

Fad diets tend to give you a short-term loss of weight. People have a way of finding what they lose so the weight tends to find you again. Developing a long-term active lifestyle with fresh, lean healthy food that takes the weight off slowly and keeps it off is a better option.

Regardless of what diet you decide upon the average daily energy or kilojoule needs of the body are around 8,700 and if we have more than we need the body puts aside the excess energy in storage as fat. If we take in less than we use then we lose the excess fat. (13)

Incorporate a variety of light physical activities every day, walking is a good start.  Activities that are vigorous, as well as those that strengthen muscle and bone should be incorporated at least 2 days per week.

To achieve greater health benefits, replace sedentary time with additional moderate to vigorous physical activity, while preserving sufficient sleep.

Limit sedentary recreational screen time to no more than 2 hours per day.

Doing any physical activity is better than doing none. If you currently do no physical activity, start small and gradually build up to the recommended amount.

Be active on most, preferably all, days every week. (9)

“People who are lonely die earlier, they’re twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease and loneliness has also been linked to multiple health problems from high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease to obesity,” says Dr Michelle Lim, a researcher and clinical psychologist at Swinburne Universe of Technology.

She says loneliness is a more serious issue than many people realise. While technology such as social media, websites and emails can help us stay in touch, we need deeper, personal contact to keep loneliness at bay. (11)

There are many that say the benefits of maintaining meaningful family and social contacts has a powerful impact on our health and longevity.

When researchers from a study funded by Brigham Young University in the US analysed studies involving 3 million people, they found loneliness posed the same risk to mortality as "smoking 15 cigarettes a day or being an alcoholic." (11)

We should all get out and about, help others through volunteering, maintain a healthy and active lifestyle, get a pet and be proactive in joining groups and giving yourself something to do. If you need to, talk to your doctor or a health professional. 

beyondblue.org.au | 1300 22 4636
lifeline.org.au | 13 11 14