Air pollution and chemical exposure increase inflammation and blood pressure.
Welcome to the Younger Longer 28-Day Healthy Heart Challenge, a transformative podcast series designed to help you take control of your heart health and live a longer, healthier life. Over the next 28 days, we’ll guide you through a comprehensive journey covering key aspects of cardiovascular wellness—nutrition, exercise, stress management, medical awareness, and lifestyle choices.
Each daily episode is packed with expert insights from Dr. Warrick Bishop, best-selling author and cardiologist dedicated to preventing heart disease before it becomes a life-threatening issue. Using the latest science and practical strategies, this series empowers you to make heart-healthy choices and build habits that will support your well-being for years to come.
What You’ll Learn in the 28 Days:
✔ Understanding Your Heart – How it functions and why proactive care is essential.
✔ Heart-Healthy Nutrition – The best foods to fuel your cardiovascular system.
✔ Exercise & Movement – The role of physical activity in strengthening your heart.
✔ Stress & Mental Well-being – Managing stress and anxiety for a healthier heart.
✔ The Power of Sleep – How sleep quality impacts cardiovascular function.
✔ The Impact of Smoking & Alcohol – Making informed lifestyle changes.
✔ Supplements & Medical Insights – Understanding key nutrients and medical checkups.
✔ Advanced Heart Testing & Risk Factors – Going beyond traditional risk assessments.
✔ Sustaining Long-Term Heart Health Habits – Turning knowledge into action for lifelong benefits.
Why Listen?
- Get practical tips and science-backed advice you can apply immediately.
- Learn from real-world examples and medical expertise.
- Gain daily challenges to help you stay engaged and track progress.
- Take charge of your heart health in a simple, effective, and engaging way.
Your heart is your most vital organ, and the steps you take today will shape your future health. Whether you’re looking to prevent heart disease, manage risk factors, or simply improve your overall well-being, this 28-day challenge is your roadmap to a healthier, longer life.
Subscribe and start your journey today—because every heartbeat counts!
Transcript
Well, welcome to day 20, and I have to say, I've got a bit of apprehension about today. We're talking environmental factors and heart health, and I feel a little bit despondent, almost embarrassed, sad that our species have taken the world to this place, where really we're talking about the impact of man on our own health, but probably the health of other animals and plants on the planet, and the impact is so detrimental. It's just, it's actually quite depressing, and it's unfortunate that we have to think about it, because it's real, and we're starting to observe it more and more.
Things like air pollution can affect your heart, because tiny particles that are called PM2.5s, these tiny little particles of, well, pollution, can end up being inhaled into your lungs, get through the blood vessels in the lungs, and into the blood vessels of your body, causing an inflammatory response. This inflammatory response can drive blood pressure. We've even found evidence of tiny bits of fragments of microscopic plastic within plaque within arteries.
Look, I honestly think this is a little bit depressing, but we have to be aware of it, because we don't want to be putting ourselves in the way of these exposures, and we need to be avoiding them where we can, and we need to be, I think, trying to hold people accountable wherever possible, and hoping, by shining a light on it, that the very people who could make a difference do start to make a difference.
So, air is problematic, particles within the air can be problematic, but also things like, well, heavy metal within contaminated soils, or even contaminated waters can be problematic. Pesticides, cleaning our food properly before we wash it, as long as our water is not tainted by lead or some other impurity, because of storage or pipes or various other aspects of the delivery of that water to us.
We do know that sudden exposures of pollution would be problematic, and one of the really interesting things that I've come across in my reading is the impact of noise pollution, and what an impact that can have, particularly on things like blood pressure, and we almost take it for granted.
What can we do? Well, I think we need to raise awareness. I think we need to talk to the people who are at the coalface of making the decisions in industry about what can be done to really move away from what's probably been historically choices that have been based on economics to choices that are based on health, and not just health of humans, but health of the planet and other organisms.
We can use filters. That's not a bad idea. You can run your car on, recirculate with its air conditioning. As you travel through traffic, you can eat an antioxidant-rich food and be mindful of chemical exposures, buying organic. All those things make perfect sense.
So, you know, it's a bit of a shout-out to a heads-up to be aware and talk to people about this. We can make small changes in our own lives, but we really need to be, I guess, talking at dinner table conversations, talking in groups, clubs, societies, and hopefully talking to our politicians and business leaders to start making the changes, not just for us, but for our kids and for other people on the planet.
So, I don't think I like that topic today. So, I'm going to sign off now. I am going to wish you the very best. Drink clean water, breathe fresh air, eat wholesome food, and wash it well, even if it is organic.
For now, I am going to wish you the very best. I do hope you live as well as possible for as long as possible, and I look forward to speaking with you tomorrow. Take care, and bye for now. Bye for now.
Are You at Risk of a Sudden Heart Attack? How Healthy is Your Heart? Really?
Heart disease is the #1 killer in the Western World. In Australia, someone dies every 28 minutes from heart disease. That’s 51 people a day. In the US, someone has a heart attack every 40 SECONDS! Fortunately, many heart attacks are preventable. However, regular exercise and eating healthy are no guarantee you won’t succumb to this silent killer.
- 94% of Australians have at least One Risk Factor for heart disease.
- 59% of Australians have been Touched by heart disease.
- Yet only 3% of Australians have had a Full Heart-Health Assessment in the past 12 months.
Do the free heart check today at www.virtualheartcheck.com.au
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