Taking care of your arteries is synonymous with taking care of your overall health. After all, these vessels carry oxygenated blood to “irrigate and supply” all of the body’s tissues and organs. This oxygen transfer aims to “maintain the vitality of these structures,” as cardiologist Wagner Vinicius Ferreira explained. However, lifestyle habits adopted over time tend to weaken the blood flow in these tubes.
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The doctor, who specializes in hemodynamics and interventional cardiology, confirms that the arteries “are living organs that maintain the production of a series of substances that control the contraction and expansion of these vessels.” Wagner Vinicius highlights that the compositions generated in these tubes reduce the risk of the formation of fatty plaques, a process known as atherosclerosis.
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Fatty plaque makes it difficult for blood to pass through the arteries
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In a healthy artery, blood flows normally
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Artery with fatty plaque
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Cardiologist highlights the worst habits for artery health
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The cardiologist reports Atherosclerosis is caused by cholesterol accumulation, smoking, sedentary lifestyle, weight gain, and the presence of diabetes. He explains that, when living with these risk factors throughout life, at a certain point, fatty plaques are created in the innermost layer of the arteries, also called the endothelium.
“The endothelium contains cells that separate the vessel wall in which blood flows. Inflammatory cells pick up cholesterol particles and deposit on the artery wall, and begin to form plaques. This increases over time as lifestyle habits do not change,” says the hemodynamic specialist at Mantveda Hospital.
Fatty plaques form on the walls of the arteries, a process called atherosclerosis
Wagner Vinicius confirms that arteries have an essential role in producing substances that have the ability to reduce blood vessel clotting and regulate the contraction and expansion of these tubes. He argues that unhealthy lifestyle habits can prevent vessels from performing this function by becoming stiffer due to the formation of atherosclerotic plaques.
“One of the most important risk factors that harm the health of the arteries, including smoking: Dyslipidemia, which changes cholesterol. And diabetes“, lists the doctor. The cardiologist confirms that this process of atherosclerosis is “evolutionary and cumulative.” He adds: “At some point in life, these plaques can become dangerous or become inflamed and weak, and are prone to rupture, causing an acute event.”
According to Wagner Vinicius Ferreira, adopting healthy habits reduces the risk of events that damage the arteries. He emphasizes that “a balanced diet, good sleep control, physical activity, and avoiding smoking are all factors that reduce the likelihood of developing atherosclerosis. The likelihood of an event occurring in the future, whether a heart attack, stroke, or severe arterial blockage, is much lower.”
Diabetes is one of the risk factors that harm the health of the arteries
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