Because they carry blood from the heart to your tissues, your arteries play an essential role in the proper functioning of your internal machinery. Unfortunately, they age with you and gradually lose their effectiveness. “That is completely irremediable, explains François Carré. The main cause of their aging is therefore simply age.” But do not panic: if you cannot eradicate the problem, it is however possible to limit its damage.
Flexibility at risk
First of all, a little clarification is in order. Technically, your arteries suffer from two different ailments: “I’atherosclerosisfirst, which is a deposit of atheroma plaques, in which bad cholesterol is found, on the walls of the arteries, explains the professor. Then there is thearteriosclerosiswhich is really related to aging.” And in this second case, everything is a story of loss of flexibility, inevitable over the years: “As you age, fibrosis sets in in the muscle layer cells of your artery walls. This is a kind of tissue that will stiffen the arteries, preventing them from contracting normally.” Either the reason why blood pressure increases with age.
Good hygiene for younger arteries
How to avoid this rigidity? As often, by monitoring his lifestyle. Because know this: you are the age of your arteries : “They are a good reflection of your biological age, confirms the cardiologist. And it is estimated by measuring the speed at which blood passes through the arteries. The stiffer they are, the faster it goes. But by watching what you eat, not smoking and practicing physical activity, you can have, at 60, the arteries of someone 40.”
But beware, the opposite is also true: “I often receive people who do not understand the risks represented by a poor hygieno-dietary balance. Some people sometimes tell me that they do not have any cholesterol, which is true, but nevertheless, they can have at 40 the arteries of someone in their 60s. Their lifestyle impacts the quality of their walls.”
In short, you have understood it: if you cannot stop aging with your arteries (or if you can, let us know), you can at least slow down the harmful effects of time. It’s already that.
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