Take care of yourself: vessels

The blood vessels are responsible for ensuring that the blood can quickly and easily reach the areas of the body farthest from the heart.

There are large-arteries and veins with a diameter of up to 2-3 centimeters, there are also very tiny-capillaries, only 5 micrometers in diameter.

The walls of the vessels, which consist of smooth muscle, expand and narrow, helping the heart to pump almost five liters of blood.

What prevents the vessels from working normally?

1. Smoking. Nicotine causes vasospasm, increased blood pressure, increased heart rate and reduces the elasticity of blood vessels. In addition, it disrupts blood clotting, which causes blood clots to form.

2. Alcohol. Under its action, the walls of the vessels gradually deform and cease to normally pass the blood flow. Therefore, with regular alcohol abuse, blood pressure increases and hypertension develops.

3. Poor nutrition. Excess saturated fat in the diet leads to the gradual deposition of cholesterol on the walls of blood vessels and the formation of cholesterol plaques. This process is especially dangerous in the coronary vessels that feed the heart. If they become clogged, this leads to a myocardial infarction — the death of the heart muscle from a lack of blood supply.

How to help your blood vessels become healthier?

1. Smoking cessation. After two weeks, the spasms of small vessels will gradually stop, and the blood supply to the body will significantly improve. The sooner you quit smoking, the faster you will recover.

2. Abstinence from alcohol. This will restore the elasticity of the vessels and protect them not only from hypertension, but also from an increased risk of stroke.

3. A balanced diet. Exclude from the diet food that can cause vascular diseases: fatty, fried and smoked. And the replacement of saturated animal fats with unsaturated vegetable fats allows not only to rid the body of excess harmful cholesterol, but also to maintain harmony.