Welcome to Living Healthy Chicago.
I'm Jane Clauss,
today we're focusing on heart-health.
So it's important we understand
how to keep our hearts healthy
and who better to join us than a cardiologist.
Dr. Clyde Yancy of Northwestern Medicine is the go-to guy
when it comes to all things heart-related,
so lucky for us, he's here today
to answer all of our questions.
Dr. Yancy, I think we need to first start
the conversation off with what's on everybody's mind
and that's COVID 19.
Can it actually affect the heart?
- COVID-19 isn't just a virus
that causes pneumonia or does it ever do that
and it can be fatal
but there are also cardiovascular complications.
The heart can experience weakness sometimes
because it's overworking in response to the pneumonia.
There's very disturbing evidence
that COVID-19 is associated with development of blood clots.
We've been able to identify that even months
after the COVID-19 exposure
we were able to find in some people,
evidence the heart is not functioning as well as it should.
We believe it gets better over time
but this is something that we'll have
to use a longitudinal long-term lens to see,
is this one of those things that we need to anticipate?
So we can only follow this out
as it evolves and learn as we go.
- We're all under a lot of stress these days
whether it be the stress of am I going to get sick?
Will I keep my job?
So how is stress connected to heart health
and how can we best manage it?
- Stress in and of itself drives illness.
It drives inflammation.
I see blood pressure fluctuations
that clearly are associated with stress.
I see episodes of chest pain clearly associated with stress.
Stress matters and it leads to dire consequences
in a lot of people.
All of us have to dig deep and say,
what's my goal to activity
that helps me dissipate, manage, control my stress?
Some people meditate.
Some people are reading.
Some people exercising.
People that are doing constructive things
are really hoping to improve their health.
- Let's talk about high blood pressure.
What are some ways to manage a high blood pressure?
- It's so closely connected with weight,
it's so closely connected with stress and lifestyle.
It is so closely connected with diet.
We all need to trend towards a diet
that is very robust in plants,
lots of fiber, lots of fruits and vegetables,
very low saturated fat low in sodium,
and know your family history.
You know what, if your parents and grandparents
had high blood pressure, guess what?
You're probably in that same space.
- Can you help us make the connection
between sleep and heart-health?
- Such a marker of the adequacy for our own health,
getting appropriate rest
and this is really hard to do in this pandemic.
So I really do think it's important
for everyone to consider,
how can I improve my sleep quality?
Well, I'll give you some tips.
Avoid the big meal late at night,
avoid blue light in bed,
reading your screens, no, no, no, no, no.
Really think about how you can make your process
of going to sleep a more peaceful,
a more welcoming process.
- In your opinion,
what is the one lifestyle change
that can make the most benefit on someone's heart?
- It's diet.
But oftentimes it's a simple thing in diet.
If you're a fan of sugar-sweetened beverages,
think about something different.
If you're a fan of fried foods, think about a different way.
Make one change in your diet
for your health and stick with that change.
Whatever it is, that's a huge first step, Jane,
and it's something everybody should think about.
- All great information, Dr. Yancy.
When we come back after the break
we're gonna continue our conversation about heart health.
- Sounds good.
(upbeat music)
(air whooshing)