Are you able to pick out the everyday risks of heart disease? While most people recognize common warning signs of a heart attack like left-sided chest pain and shortness of breath, there are a variety of less-obvious warning signs that could be missed. Here are 5 surprising signs that heart disease may be in your future:

1. You Snore. While almost half of adult’s snore, many don’t connect snoring with heart disease. Snoring happens when air can’t freely move through your nose and throat during sleep.  Over time, this puts a strain on your heart in two ways and should not be ignored:

• One - Restricting blood flow: Your carotid arteries are located a few centimeters from your throat. When you snore, your throat vibrates, and the carotid arteries thicken as a reaction to that vibration. The thickening decreases blood flow or completely blocks the flow of blood to the brain.
• Two - Restricting air flow: When the muscles that support the soft tissues in your throat, such as your tongue, temporarily relax, your airway is narrowed or closed, and breathing is momentarily cut off. When you stop breathing, your body begins to choke or cough to open your airway and allow you to breathe again. This results in low oxygen levels during sleep, which damage the blood vessels that supply the heart. Also, each time the oxygen level drops, your body tells your heart to beat faster and your blood pressure goes up. When your breathing is interrupted during sleep for longer than 10 seconds at least 5 times per hour (on average) this is considered obstructive sleep apnea.

1. Schedule a walk
2. Park farther away
3. Take the stairs
4. Get moving when you’re on the phone

3. You Are Hot-Tempered. Not many people can claim they live a stress-free life, but being able to handle that stress calmly is key. Numerous studies have shown that people who respond to stressful situations by lashing out in anger are at considerably higher risk for heart disease. By taking concrete steps to cope with the inevitable stressors in your life, you will feel better both mentally and physically, which will make it less likely that you will react in anger. Helping your heart cope with stress doesn’t have to be hard. Click here to read a few quick tips to assist.

4. You Eat a “Carnivore Diet.” For years, cardiologists have urged their patients to stay away from red meat. People who consume large amounts of red meat have higher rates of heart disease. But why? We chalked it up to this: Red meat is high in saturated fat. Saturated fat raises your cholesterol, clogging your arteries which causes heart attacks. However, that explanation was simplistic and incorrect.  It all comes down to your gut bacteria, which converts the amino acid L-carnitine—which is abundant in red meat, into a compound called trimethylamine (TMA), which the liver then oxidizes into trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO).  Increased levels of TMAO have been linked to biomarkers of inflammation. TMAO has also been associated with inflammation and the formation plaque. If you are trying to prevent heart disease, understand that by replacing some of your red meat consumption with more plant foods, you are reducing the production of TMAO and minimizing plaque formation. If you are going to eat red meat,  be sure to eat double the amount in fiber to help break it down.  You may also consider taking my Probiotic 30B. This Probiotic will add beneficial gut bacteria. 

5. You Haven’t Taken a Vacation in Over a Year. Your body needs downtime that a vacation can bring.  A study conducted over a nine-year period concluded that people who vacationed once a year reduced their overall risk of death by nearly 20 percent, and their risk of death from heart disease by almost 30 percent. Similarly, researchers at Johns Hopkins found that, of a group of women followed for 20 years, those who took the least vacation time—once every six years or less—were nearly eight times more likely to have a heart attack than women who took at least two vacations a year. The conclusion is that regular vacations reduce stress. Plan that vacation - Your heart will thank you!

In recent years, medical science has brought about a variety of at-home tests that can help you live a longer, healthier life. From the comfort of your own home, you can test yourself for covid, colon cancer, and now even heart health. There hasn’t been a truly comprehensive and effective home heart health test on the market until B100. By recognizing the less-obvious signs that may indicate increased risk of heart disease in the future, you will be able to act now, make positive lifestyle choices to reduce your risk, and live a longer, healthier life.

¹Are vacations good for your health? The 9-year mortality experience after the multiple risk factor intervention trial Link

²Myocardial Infarction and Coronary Death among Women: Psychosocial Predictors from a 20-Year Follow-up of Women in the Framingham Study Link