Heart Health

Your heart is an amazing muscle, pumping five liters of blood per minute to supply your body with oxygen and nutrients while removing wastes.

Did you know?

Birds and mammals – including humans – are warm-blooded and have hearts with four chambers. Our hearts work differently to respond to our needs. For instance:

- Small birds have hearts that beat rapidly. Tiny hummingbirds have very strong hearts – they beat about 260 times per minute at rest and 1,200 times per minute during flight!

- Large mammals have hearts that work differently.The adult male Louisiana black bear can weigh more than 600 pounds. Their normal resting heartbeat is about 40 beats per minute. During hibernation, their heartbeat can go as low as 10 beats per minute.

- A human is a fairly large mammal. An average person’s resting heart rate is about 70 beats per minute. A person who is very physically fit may have a lower heart rate – about 50 or 60 beats per minute – because their heart is very efficient. Humans need to exercise to maintain heart health. Animals get more physical activity by hunting for food, chasing prey and other activities.

Healthy Habits

Good heart health is essential. There are many ways to improve and maintain heart health:

- See your doctor regularly. Risk factors for heart disease, including high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes cause no symptoms in the early stages.
- Eat your veggies! Try to have five to ten servings of fruits and vegetables each day.
- Eat less fat. Trans fats and saturated fats can negatively affect heart health.
- Get active! Regular physical activity increases blood flow to the heart and makes the heart pump more efficiently.
- Don’t smoke, or quit smoking. Chemicals in tobacco can increase blood pressure and hurt the lining of your heart and blood vessels.

The Natural History of Health: By understanding our past,
we can improve our future.