Here’s another reason to take your routine check-ups seriously. Turns out that people with fluctuations in weight, blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels are more likely to be at a higher risk of developing heart attack, stroke and death, compared to those with more stable readings.
A significantly higher risk of death by 127 per cent, heart attacks by 43 per cent and stroke by 41 per cent, was observed when the researchers compared people with erratic readings with those who had stable measurements. The study was published in the journal Circulation
"Healthcare providers should pay attention to the variability in measurements of a patient's blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose levels as well as body weight," said Seung-Hwan Lee, Professor at the College of Medicine, Catholic University of Korea in South Korea.
"Trying to stabilise these measurements may be an important step in helping them improve their health," Lee added.
For the study the team examined data on 6,748,773 participants who had no previous history of heart attacks and were free of diabetes, high blood pressure, or high cholesterol.
To examine the effect of variability in participants, they looked separately in participants who were more than 5 per cent improved or worsened on each measurement -- stable and high.
For the study they documented records of body weight, fasting blood sugar -- glucose test, systolic blood pressure and total cholesterol.
The findings revealed that in both the improved and the worsened groups, high variability was associated with a significantly higher risk of death.
Here are four foods you must include in your daily diet to boost heart health and promote weight loss.
1. Oats: Oats are known to contain a type of fiber that helps bind bile acids and expel them from the body. These bile acids are made from cholesterol. Oats are effective in lowering the cholesterol levels in our body.Oats are full of fibre and protein that induce satiety and promote weight loss.
2. Nuts: Nuts have high amounts of unsaturated fats that are good for your heart as they help in reducing the inflammation of the arteries. Ditch your saturated fats for these healthy fats.
3. Legumes: Legumes are great for the heart and have antioxidants, proteins and fiber. Fibre takes the longest to digest. By delaying the digestion, it keeps you full for long, thus preventing you to binge on fattening foods. Fibre also ensures your cholesterol levels are in check.
4. Berries: Berries are full of heart-healthy phytonutrients and lots of soluble and heart-healthy fibers.
(With inputs IANS)