What Is The Best Diet For Left Ventricular Hypertrophy?

Blood pressure is about the force that the heart makes when it contracts to pump blood into the arteries that will then distribute it throughout our body. The heart, like other muscles, increases its muscle mass when it is subjected to continuous work. The heart of the hypertensive people makes a greater effort to pump blood and this leads to an increase in muscle mass, also known as left ventricular hypertrophy.

Contrary to what everybody might think, this increase in muscle mass does not translate into an increase in blood flow, but rather makes the heart more irritable, increases the risk of arrhythmia and can cause serious coronaries problems.

The best approach to avoid development of left ventricular hypertrophy is stick to diet plan that is good for the heart and lead a healthy lifestyle. This includes doing at least 30 minutes of exercise regularly, maintaining ideal body weight, abstain from smoking, have good control over cholesterol levels, have good control over glucose and blood pressure, and eat a balanced diet with low salt content.

Diet plays a predominant role in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases including left ventricular hypertrophy and the consumption of Omega-3 fatty acids, deficient in the current diet, has been scientifically demonstrated to reduce cardiovascular risk.

Mainly, we find Omega-3 in cold-water fish -salmon, tuna, mackerel or sturgeon- in green leafy vegetables, in nuts and in vegetable oils, such as flaxseed and canola. In order to guarantee the necessary contribution of essential fatty acids, the consumption of fish, preferably blue, is recommended at least twice a week for left ventricular hypertrophy.

In addition, different clinical trials have shown that supplements of Omega-3 fatty acids can reduce cardiac events, produce a reduction in the advance of arteriosclerosis and lengthen the life of left ventricular hypertrophy patients.

Other Diet Suggestions For Left Ventricular Hypertrophy Include:

-Having diet that is naturally low in fat, such as whole grains, fruits and vegetables.

-Read food labels and pay special attention to the level of saturated fat.

Avoid or reduce diet that is rich in saturated fat (more than 20% of total fat is considered high). Eating too much-saturated fat is one of the biggest risk factors for heart disease. Foods rich in this type of fat include: hard cheese, egg yolks, cream, whole milk, ice cream, fatty meats and butter.

-Pick a lean protein diet like skinless chicken, soy, fish, and low fat dairy products.

-Look for labels “partially hydrogenated” or “hydrogenated” when you buy processed foods. Such foods need to be avoided as they are full of saturated and trans fats.

-Limit the amount of processed and fried foods you eat when you have left ventricular hypertrophy.

-Reduce the amount of packed baked goods like cookies, crackers, and bagels that you eat, as they tend to have a lot of saturated fats or trans fats in them.

-Pay attention to how the food is prepared. The best way to cook chicken, lean meats, and fish is to grill, boil and bake.

-Have diet that is rich in soluble fiber. These include bran, split peas, oats, lentils, beans, brown rice, and cereals.

-Learn how to buy and cook foods that are healthy for your heart. Learn how to read food labels to choose the ones that are healthy. Avoid fast food centers where food is not considered as healthy.

The low-salt DASH diet for left ventricular hypertrophy has been shown to help lower blood pressure. Its effects on blood pressure are sometimes seen after a few weeks.

This diet for left ventricular hypertrophy is rich in important nutrients and fiber. It also includes foods that are richer in potassium, calcium, and magnesium, and lower in sodium (salt) than the typical American diet.

Left ventricular hypertrophy is often found in obese individuals, regardless of blood pressure. However, high blood pressure is one of the most common causes of this disease. Losing weight has demonstrated to be useful, also getting rid of bad habits such as drinking too much alcohol; but also limiting salt and saturated fats content in foods.