1 00:00:07,133 --> 00:00:10,453 Speaker 1: You're listening to the Saturday Morning with Jack Team podcast 2 00:00:10,573 --> 00:00:11,453 Speaker 1: from News Talks. 3 00:00:11,453 --> 00:00:14,853 Speaker 2: A'd be Doctor. Brian Betty is our resident doctor and 4 00:00:14,893 --> 00:00:16,693 Speaker 2: he's very much getting into the swing of things this 5 00:00:16,813 --> 00:00:20,453 Speaker 2: Valentine's Day thinking about the heart. It's just not in 6 00:00:20,533 --> 00:00:23,693 Speaker 2: the way that so many of us are. A third 7 00:00:23,733 --> 00:00:26,573 Speaker 2: of all deaths in New Zealand come from heart disease. 8 00:00:26,733 --> 00:00:30,773 Speaker 2: That is an extraordinary stat is our single biggest killer, Brian. 9 00:00:30,893 --> 00:00:35,773 Speaker 2: So let's start by thinking about some basics. Just remind 10 00:00:35,853 --> 00:00:38,213 Speaker 2: us what'll explain to us what does the heart do 11 00:00:38,533 --> 00:00:40,373 Speaker 2: and why is it such an overachiever? 12 00:00:41,653 --> 00:00:44,813 Speaker 3: Yeah, look, I love this term. It's it's described as 13 00:00:44,893 --> 00:00:49,333 Speaker 3: nature's quiet overachiever because it just sits in the background. 14 00:00:49,413 --> 00:00:52,533 Speaker 3: It's a muscle of the size of a fist, sits 15 00:00:52,573 --> 00:00:54,293 Speaker 3: on the left hand side of our chest, and it 16 00:00:54,333 --> 00:00:57,253 Speaker 3: pumps blood around the body to supply our muscles in 17 00:00:57,293 --> 00:01:00,413 Speaker 3: our brain with oxygen and to remove toxins out of 18 00:01:00,413 --> 00:01:02,573 Speaker 3: the body through the kidney, through the liver and through 19 00:01:02,573 --> 00:01:05,493 Speaker 3: the lungs. Now, when you start to look at the 20 00:01:05,533 --> 00:01:08,413 Speaker 3: stats around it, we were to take the heart outside 21 00:01:08,453 --> 00:01:11,213 Speaker 3: the body and get it to pump, it would squirt 22 00:01:11,333 --> 00:01:15,613 Speaker 3: blood nine meters into the air. Now, it beats it 23 00:01:15,693 --> 00:01:19,733 Speaker 3: about one hundred thousand times a day. That's thirty five 24 00:01:19,773 --> 00:01:23,573 Speaker 3: million a year. That's three billion beats over a lifetime, 25 00:01:23,653 --> 00:01:25,813 Speaker 3: and we're not even aware of it most of the time. 26 00:01:26,493 --> 00:01:29,533 Speaker 3: The other really interesting status. Look, we've got about five 27 00:01:29,613 --> 00:01:32,533 Speaker 3: to six liters of blood in the body. Now, it 28 00:01:32,573 --> 00:01:35,573 Speaker 3: pumps at about five liters per minute around the body. 29 00:01:35,973 --> 00:01:38,693 Speaker 3: That's about seven thousand a day and over a lifetime. 30 00:01:38,733 --> 00:01:42,013 Speaker 3: And I love the stat that's about twenty million liters 31 00:01:42,093 --> 00:01:45,213 Speaker 3: over a lifetime, which is equivalent to eighty Olympic sized 32 00:01:45,213 --> 00:01:49,933 Speaker 3: swimming pools. So it's phenomenal what the heart actually does 33 00:01:49,973 --> 00:01:52,213 Speaker 3: and we just sit there and not even a weary. 34 00:01:53,373 --> 00:01:56,053 Speaker 2: About it's reminding. Yeah, yeah, So what are some of 35 00:01:56,053 --> 00:01:58,333 Speaker 2: the simple things we can do to keep it healthy? 36 00:01:58,413 --> 00:02:00,013 Speaker 3: Yeah, we do need to keep it healthy, We need 37 00:02:00,013 --> 00:02:01,773 Speaker 3: to keep it working, and we need to think about that. 38 00:02:01,853 --> 00:02:04,573 Speaker 3: And I think there's three basics, and I think just 39 00:02:04,613 --> 00:02:07,213 Speaker 3: thinking about that. We know that smoking is one of 40 00:02:07,213 --> 00:02:11,213 Speaker 3: the biggest contributors to heart disease. So if you do smoke, 41 00:02:11,333 --> 00:02:13,693 Speaker 3: just reducing the number of smokes, or if you can 42 00:02:13,973 --> 00:02:18,173 Speaker 3: getting rid of smoking is really really positive for the heart. Now, 43 00:02:18,213 --> 00:02:20,933 Speaker 3: The other big thing is actually moving or daily some 44 00:02:20,933 --> 00:02:24,373 Speaker 3: sort of daily exercise, because the heart likes to be exercised, 45 00:02:24,373 --> 00:02:26,493 Speaker 3: It likes to move, it likes to work, and it 46 00:02:26,573 --> 00:02:29,773 Speaker 3: keeps it fit. So about thirty minutes a day of 47 00:02:29,853 --> 00:02:33,773 Speaker 3: daily exercise with that's walking, swimming, cycling, walking to the bus, 48 00:02:33,813 --> 00:02:36,653 Speaker 3: up the stairs, whatever it is, that's a really good 49 00:02:36,693 --> 00:02:38,893 Speaker 3: thing to do. And the third thing I think is 50 00:02:38,933 --> 00:02:41,813 Speaker 3: really really important is the food we eat. So lots 51 00:02:41,813 --> 00:02:44,213 Speaker 3: and lots of fruit and vegetables really really good for 52 00:02:44,253 --> 00:02:48,973 Speaker 3: the heart. Let's concentrate on reducing salt and sugar, takeaway 53 00:02:49,013 --> 00:02:52,093 Speaker 3: foods and those sugary drinks in our diet. That's really 54 00:02:52,133 --> 00:02:55,693 Speaker 3: positive for the heart. And just limit those processed fatty 55 00:02:55,773 --> 00:02:57,573 Speaker 3: foods because they tend to put a whole lot of 56 00:02:57,653 --> 00:02:59,893 Speaker 3: cholesterol or fats into the blood, which at the end 57 00:02:59,893 --> 00:03:01,493 Speaker 3: of the day can clog up the heart. So I 58 00:03:01,493 --> 00:03:05,773 Speaker 3: think food, movement, and smoking are probably the big three 59 00:03:05,893 --> 00:03:06,693 Speaker 3: to think about. 60 00:03:07,253 --> 00:03:07,653 Speaker 1: Nice. 61 00:03:07,733 --> 00:03:10,733 Speaker 2: So do we need a heart check up with your GP? 62 00:03:11,653 --> 00:03:15,493 Speaker 3: Look, I think you do after the age of forty. 63 00:03:15,733 --> 00:03:18,133 Speaker 3: About forty is probably the key where once a year, 64 00:03:18,213 --> 00:03:22,213 Speaker 3: I think you should And that's this term we call 65 00:03:22,693 --> 00:03:25,213 Speaker 3: just knowing your numbers. So there's a number of hidden 66 00:03:25,213 --> 00:03:27,173 Speaker 3: things in the body that we don't know about unless 67 00:03:27,213 --> 00:03:29,133 Speaker 3: we test for them deliberately. Now, the big one is 68 00:03:29,133 --> 00:03:32,373 Speaker 3: blood pressure that puts extra pressure or stress on the 69 00:03:32,413 --> 00:03:34,533 Speaker 3: heart over time, and we need to know what our 70 00:03:34,533 --> 00:03:37,093 Speaker 3: blood pressure is and if it's up to something about it. 71 00:03:37,173 --> 00:03:39,533 Speaker 3: We can do blood tests for cholesterol to see how 72 00:03:39,573 --> 00:03:42,013 Speaker 3: many fats are flowing through the bloodstream that could clog 73 00:03:42,093 --> 00:03:44,493 Speaker 3: up the heart. And actually the other big one is 74 00:03:44,613 --> 00:03:47,573 Speaker 3: high blood sugar because that tends to damage the heart 75 00:03:47,613 --> 00:03:50,613 Speaker 3: as well. So those three things, those are the key 76 00:03:50,693 --> 00:03:53,333 Speaker 3: numbers we need to know about. And keeping an eye 77 00:03:53,373 --> 00:03:56,493 Speaker 3: on those every twelve months I think is important. Now, 78 00:03:56,533 --> 00:03:59,933 Speaker 3: and occasionally we do recommend medication, and it's important to 79 00:04:00,013 --> 00:04:02,933 Speaker 3: know that that medication is prescribed for a very very 80 00:04:02,933 --> 00:04:06,333 Speaker 3: distinct reason. Where we do have blood pressure, cholesterol, or sugar. 81 00:04:07,293 --> 00:04:10,693 Speaker 3: We're prescribing those medications to actually protect the heart, to 82 00:04:10,733 --> 00:04:13,493 Speaker 3: try and keep it safe. And there's very very good 83 00:04:13,573 --> 00:04:16,053 Speaker 3: data that if we do that, we reduce the chances 84 00:04:16,053 --> 00:04:18,773 Speaker 3: of heart disease over time. So I think that annual 85 00:04:18,853 --> 00:04:21,333 Speaker 3: check up, yeah, I would say it's a really important 86 00:04:21,373 --> 00:04:24,093 Speaker 3: thing to think about and to do and look at 87 00:04:24,093 --> 00:04:25,973 Speaker 3: the end of the day with in terms of lifestyle, 88 00:04:26,013 --> 00:04:29,653 Speaker 3: it's those small consistent changes that really really do sort 89 00:04:29,653 --> 00:04:30,773 Speaker 3: of help the heart over time. 90 00:04:31,093 --> 00:04:34,013 Speaker 2: Yeah, very good. Hey, thank you Brian, Happy Valain Fae's Day. 91 00:04:35,813 --> 00:04:38,213 Speaker 2: And we will lack catching you very soon Doctor Brian. 92 00:04:38,253 --> 00:04:40,413 Speaker 2: Betty will put all of his advice there up at 93 00:04:40,413 --> 00:04:43,773 Speaker 2: Newstalks headb dot co dot nz Ford slash Jack that's 94 00:04:43,813 --> 00:04:46,013 Speaker 2: where everything from our show goes on Saturday Morning. 95 00:04:46,093 --> 00:04:49,973 Speaker 1: So for more from Saturday Morning with Jack Tame, listen 96 00:04:50,053 --> 00:04:52,893 Speaker 1: live to News Talks hed B from nine am Saturday, 97 00:04:53,093 --> 00:04:55,173 Speaker 1: or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.