Eat too much oil, eat too much, eat too much sweet? Beware of the "three highs" during the holidays

Eat too much oil, eat too much, eat too much sweet? Beware of the "three highs" during the holidays

Li Yan , deputy chief physician of the Department of Cardiology, Oriental Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine , Liu Jing, attending physician

The Spring Festival is the most important festival in the hearts of all Chinese people. It means bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new, nurturing new hopes, and entrusting health and happiness. It is also the happiest time for family reunion and enjoying delicious food. However, if you want to eat healthily, you have to be careful. If you eat too much oil or too much, you have to be careful of the "three highs".

1. Three highs and their impact

The "three highs" we often talk about are the three most common risk factors for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, namely high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and high blood lipids. The "three highs" not only cause damage individually, but also often "cooperate with each other", so comprehensive prevention and control is the most effective strategy.

hypertension

Hypertension is currently the disease with the largest number of patients and the greatest harm. It also increases the overall risk of cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, renal and vascular complications and death. By lowering blood pressure, it is possible to effectively prevent or delay the occurrence of complications such as stroke, myocardial infarction, heart failure and renal insufficiency. In terms of treatment, on the basis of improving lifestyle, antihypertensive drugs should be given according to the overall risk level of hypertensive patients, while intervening in correctable risk factors, target organ damage and coexisting clinical diseases. In general, hypertensive patients should reduce their blood pressure to <140/90 mmHg; those who can tolerate it and some high-risk and above patients can further reduce their blood pressure to <130/80 mmHg.

High blood sugar

Diabetic patients have a higher risk of coronary heart disease, and blood sugar control emphasizes comprehensive control of multiple metabolic cardiovascular risk factors through a healthy lifestyle and medication. Diabetic patients should choose targeted hypoglycemic drugs and combinations according to their own conditions and blood sugar characteristics, monitor blood sugar and glycosylated hemoglobin at the same time, and strictly control blood pressure and blood lipids, because diabetic insulin resistance is also one of the causes of hypertension.

High cholesterol

Hyperlipidemia, especially elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, is a direct risk factor for arteriosclerosis, coronary heart disease, and cerebrovascular disease. Patients with hyperlipidemia undergo risk assessment for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease: patients with low or medium risk who cannot reach the target blood lipid level after strict implementation of lifestyle intervention for 6 months should consider lipid-lowering medication; patients with high or higher risk need to receive medication and monitor whether they can reach the corresponding blood lipid target value.

2. Healthy diet during the Chinese New Year

As we all know, the "three highs" are closely related to diet. High blood sugar and high blood lipids are of course not to be mentioned, and high blood pressure is also closely related to diet. Therefore, to prevent the "three highs" during the Chinese New Year, we must first pay attention to a healthy diet.

Eat less salt to prevent high blood pressure

Excessive consumption of sodium salt can lead to high blood pressure. Among patients with hypertension, some have "salt-sensitive hypertension". For these patients with hypertension, reducing their salt intake can significantly reduce their blood pressure. For most patients with hypertension, excessive intake of sodium salt may also lead to increased blood volume, sympathetic nerve activation, endothelial damage, and further increase in blood pressure. Therefore, to prevent and treat hypertension, you should eat less salt. Studies have shown that reducing salt intake can lower blood pressure in patients with hypertension; the World Health Organization recommends that the daily salt intake per person be gradually reduced to <6g, and increasing potassium intake will help control blood pressure.

Eat less sweets to prevent high blood sugar

Diabetes is caused by insufficient secretion of insulin in the human body or the body's inability to effectively utilize insulin and break down glucose, resulting in a continuous increase in blood sugar levels. Excessive intake of sugar is not only harmful to diabetic patients, but also to healthy people, so we must control the intake of various sugars. The main sources of sugar in our diet include various candies, fruits and staple foods, so to prevent and treat diabetes, we should eat less sweets. Especially during the Chinese New Year, it is necessary to reasonably control the total energy intake, that is, not to consume too many calories every day, and eat at regular times and quantities; adjust the dietary structure, diversify the diet, cereals are the basis, eat more high-quality protein foods and high-fiber foods, and eat less high-sugar foods; control the speed of eating, chew slowly; the order of eating can be adjusted, eating vegetables first and then staple foods.

Eat less oil to prevent high blood lipids

Hyperlipidemia is caused by excessive fat intake or abnormal lipoprotein synthesis and metabolism, which leads to elevated blood lipids. Currently, excessive fat intake and insufficient fat consumption are the main causes of elevated blood lipids, so eating less oil is necessary to prevent and treat hyperlipidemia. To reduce fat intake, on the one hand, you should eat a low-fat diet, use less oil, and avoid frying foods that can be eaten raw, blanched, or boiled, and eat less fried foods; on the other hand, you should eat less high-cholesterol foods such as fatty meat and animal offal, and at the same time eat less processed foods to reduce the intake of saturated fatty acids and trans fatty acids, and eat more high-fiber foods.

Drinking herbal tea regularly can prevent three highs

I would like to recommend a tea made of longan, mulberry and tangerine peel. Drinking this tea regularly during the Chinese New Year can replenish heart blood, liver blood, and spleen qi. According to the Compendium of Materia Medica, longan can benefit the heart and spleen, replenish qi and blood, and has the effects of appetizing, strengthening the spleen, replenishing deficiency and benefiting intelligence, and has a good nourishing and tonic effect; mulberry can detoxify alcohol, promote water and qi, eliminate edema, and nourish yin and blood. It has the effects of promoting fluid and moistening dryness, blackening hair and improving eyesight, promoting fluid and moistening intestines, and nourishing beauty. It can also improve sleep, delay aging, lower blood sugar, lower blood lipids, and prevent atherosclerosis; tangerine peel can treat vomiting, cure noisy, resolve phlegm, and resolve fishy toxins. It has the effects of regulating qi and strengthening the spleen, drying dampness and resolving phlegm. Longan, mulberry and tangerine peel tea is to take 9g of longan, 6g of mulberry, and 3g of tangerine peel, brew with boiling water and drink. It tastes fragrant and sweet, and nourishes and maintains health.

3. Regular check-ups and timely medical treatment

1. Get regular physical examinations

There may be no obvious symptoms in the early stages of the three highs, so many people do not know that they have the three highs problem, which poses a great threat to their health. In fact, it is not difficult to detect high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and high blood lipids. They can be found through the most basic physical examination, especially high blood pressure, which can be preliminarily screened through the measurement of an electronic blood pressure monitor. Therefore, it is recommended that you have regular physical examinations, especially those who have irregular lifestyles, a family history of the three highs, or have already developed the three highs. Regular check-ups are necessary. Checking before the holidays can remind you to pay attention to controlling your diet during the holidays; checking after the holidays is also fine, as it can remind you to control abnormal indicators early.

2. Seek medical attention promptly if symptoms occur

The common harm of the three highs is that they lead to cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Severe cases may cause coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, peripheral vascular disease, kidney disease, etc. These diseases can cause a series of symptoms such as chest tightness, chest pain, shortness of breath, dizziness, headache, difficulty in limb movement, numbness and pain in the lower limbs, edema, etc. If these symptoms occur, you must not avoid medical treatment just because it is the New Year. You must seek medical attention in time.