It’s all
connected:
To keep
your heart
healthy,
it’s
important
to take
good care
of other
parts
of your
body, too.efforts to care for various parts
of your body—such as flossing
daily or eating more vegetables,
the very things you might al-
ready have resolved to do this
year—may also help protect
against heart disease. Here are
four connections to consider.Be good to your gums.
Why it matters: People with
periodontal disease may be
more likely to develop heart dis-
ease and blocked arteries; one
theory is that bacteria from the112
SURE, YOUR HEART benefits from
the entire list of super-habits:
Eat right, exercise regularly,
keep your weight in check, don’t
smoke, sleep enough, and manageyour stress. But there are some
other surprising habits associated
with cardiac health, says Kirsten
O. Healy, a cardiologist at
New York–Presbyterian/Weill
Cornell Medical Center, in
New York City. Evolving evidence
shows that making simplemouth may be entering the
bloodstream via openings in gum
tissue. In fact, your mouth and
heart are so closely connected
that scientists are developing
a test that could predict heart
attacks by measuring signs of
heart inflammation in saliva, says
Onn Haji Hashim, Ph.D., head
of the department of molecular
medicine at the University of
Malaya in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.What you can do: Get your teeth
cleaned four times a year. In be-
tween, brush two to three times
a day and floss daily. A large
2014 American Journal of Pre-
ventive Medicine review of insur-
ance data found that good oral
hygiene resulted in a 20 to 40
percent decrease in health-
care costs and fewer trips to the
hospital for heart disease.Protect your lungs.
Why it matters: Your lungs take
in the oxygen that your heart
pumps around the body, and they
remove waste gases and exhale
them before that blood goes back
to the heart. If you have short-
ness of breath, the heart has to
work harder to get its job done.
In fact, a review paper published
in the American Journal of
Respiratory and Critical Care Med-
icine in 2012 found that people
who had limited airflow on a
spirometry test (exhaling fast
and long into a tube) had about
twice the risk of cardiovascular
disease of those whose lungs
were strongest.
What you can do: The number-
one tip, of course, is to not smoke.
Also, try to limit how much
secondhand smoke, air pollution,
car exhaust, and fireplace
smoke you breathe in. Wash your
hands often to avoid colds,
and get an annual flu shot—not
only are minor respiratory
illnesses potentially damaging,
they can lead to bronchitis or
pneumonia. To keep your lungs
strong, get 30 to 60 minutes of
aerobic exercise on most days.Watch your waistline.
Why it matters: It is well estab-
lished that packing on pounds is
bad for your heart—but belly fat
is by far the worst. A 2015 AnnalsHOW-TO HANDBOOK Health
THE WAY TO YOUR HEART
Looking for motivation to keep going with those healthy resolutions
you started last month? Here’s the nudge you need. New research shows
that a few small steps may just add up to big benefits for your heart.
ILLUSTRATION BY BEA CRESPO