Your heart beats about 100,000 times while pumping about 7,570 litres of blood in a day, making it one of the hardest-working organs of the human body. It definitely deserves a toast for working tirelessly 24/7!
Soberingly, an average of 17.9 million lives are taken each year due to heart-related illnesses, with stroke and ischemic heart disease being the most common. In fact, cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death globally.
The good news is that the primary causes of CVD are modifiable and preventable factors such as the lack of physical activity, smoking, and/or poor diet, which lead to high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, and other complications. There are also non-modifiable – or family history-related – risk factors.
Just because you are at risk, however, it doesn’t necessarily mean you will definitely develop CVD. This is why it’s important to take preventive measures such as looking after yourself and going for routine health screenings.
Ready to learn more about this amazing organ? Read on!
10 more fun facts
1. The heart works like a coordinated machine – the right side essentially pumps blood into your lungs, while the left side pumps it back into your body. The blood pumped by your heart provides oxygen and nutrients needed for your body to function optimally.
2. Your heart has its own electrical supply and can still beat after being removed from your body.
3. A normal heart pumps about four tablespoons of blood with each beat.
4. The heart is about the size of your closed fist. It weighs under 500g, though a man’s heart is typically about 55g heavier than a woman’s.
5. The beating sound comes from the opening and closing of your heart valves.
6. If you were to stretch out the blood system, it would extend over 97,000km!
7. A woman’s heart beats slightly faster than a man’s.
8. There is such a thing as a broken heart. Symptoms are similar to a heart attack but the cause is usually stress, not heart disease.
9. Laughing is good for your heart as it reduces stress and gives a boost to your immune system.
10. Heart cells do not divide perpetually, making heart cancer extremely rare.
This article was written by DOC2US, a mobile application that allows you to talk to a doctor or any healthcare professionals via text chat at any time and from anywhere.