Pharmacy Daily | Heart health: time to talk prevention

WITH Heart Health Awareness Month in full swing, experts are calling for a renewed focus on lifestyle measures that support heart health.

Leading cardiologist Dr Ross Walker (pictured) recommends pharmacists have a conversation with patients about measures they can take to keep their hearts healthy.

"It's a very important discussion to have with clients or customers, regardless of what's going on," Dr Walker told Pharmacy Daily.

Key to a healthy heart is prevention, said Dr Walker, outlining what he calls his five keys to good heart health.

"Number one is that you cannot be healthy and smoke, drink too much grog or snort cocaine."

The second is getting seven to eight hours' sleep per night, while the third is good nutrition - "eat less food and eat more natural food".

Only 5% of the population eat the recommended servings of fruit and vegetables per day, Dr Walker pointed out, but those who do have the lowest rates of heart disease and cancer in the community.

"Number four is the second-best drug on the planet, which is three to five hours every week of moderate exertion," he said.

And number five, which is "easily the best drug on the planet", is happiness, and part of people's happiness is their contact and connection with others.

A recent study published in Nature revealed social isolation and loneliness could increase the risk of and worsen outcomes of cardiovascular events.

"Evidence shows that factors like stress, loneliness and inflammation can contribute to poorer outcomes," Dr Walker said.

"A balanced lifestyle that includes meaningful social interactions, alongside physical and dietary health, is essential for protecting your heart."

As for supplements, they are not strong enough to override bad health behaviours.

"I often say that the supplements make healthy people healthier and make the drugs work better if you have an established disease, but don't ever see them as a replacement for medication or a healthy lifestyle."

One supplement that may help some people is ubiquinol, or co-enzyme Q10, especially once they reach 50 years old and levels deplete, or they are taking a statin.

On a cellular level, the heart relies on mitochondria, the body's energy producers, Dr Walker explained, and the antioxidant ubiquinol is essential for energy production.

"Statins directly deplete co-enzyme Q10 levels in the mitochondria, which is why 10 to 20% of people who take statins get problems with muscle pain, stiffness, weakness, cramping and even, over time, loss of muscle bulk.

"I use ubiquinol to try and counteract that effect, and it is quite effective in the vast majority of my patients."

Dr Walker said that it is really good to see that the pharmacist's importance in the health milieu is becoming stronger.

"As doctors are getting time poor and it's getting much harder to see the doctor, a lot of the responsibility is moving towards pharmacists to take up the cudgels of what we doctors used to see as our domain," Dr Walker told Pharmacy Daily .

"And I think it's important that pharmacists are not just selling people products but also giving them this extra service - discussing how to remain healthy."

"Personally, I'm delighted for every good health professional to talk about the vital importance of prevention," Dr Walker said. KB