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"This pork meal is so delicious!" Uncle Li, wiping the oil from the corner of his mouth, patted his stomach with satisfaction. Uncle Li, who is retired, used to be an electrician, and has always had his own set of opinions about food, especially his love for pork, almost to the point of no meat. No, tonight I had another feast, ready to fall asleep contentedly.
In the dead of night, Uncle Li suddenly had a splitting headache and rolled all over the bed in pain, which was unbearable. His wife was so frightened that she quickly called the emergency services. When I arrived at the hospital, after some emergency rescue, the doctor told me that it was an attack of cerebral hemorrhage.
Cerebral hemorrhage, also known as stroke, is caused by a sudden rupture of a blood vessel in the brain, causing blood to leak into the tissues of the brain. Among many factors, dietary habits, especially excessive intake of high-fat meat products, are thought to be an important trigger for cerebral hemorrhage.
Fatty pork contains a lot of saturated fat and cholesterol. If you regularly eat meat, especially the fatty parts, these fats and cholesterol will accumulate in your body. Over time, they cause the walls of your blood vessels to slowly thicken and harden, a process called arteriosclerosis. Once the arteries are hardened, they become fragile and unable to withstand too much pressure.
In addition, if the blood pressure is always high, once the pressure rises, the hardened blood vessels may rupture, which is one of the causes of cerebral hemorrhage. This is not only theoretical, but in fact doctors do find that many people with high blood pressure, especially those who love to eat high-fat foods, have a particularly high risk of cerebral hemorrhage.
Not only is there a lot of fat in fatty meat, but it can also increase the viscosity of the blood. Once the blood becomes thicker, the flow will be slower, and when passing through those narrowed or somewhat hardened blood vessels, the resistance will be greater, and blood clots will easily form, which also increases the risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events.
Certain fat components in fatty pork may also stimulate an inflammatory response in the body. Inflammation is a part of the arteriosclerosis process and an important factor in exacerbating vascular problems.
Uncle Li's cerebral hemorrhage this time may be directly related to his long-term high blood pressure and habit of eating fatty meat. This experience really gave him a warning that he needed to make some changes to his eating habits, especially his attitude towards meat.
He began to try to eat lean meat, add more vegetables and fruits, and minimize those high-fat foods, hoping to decompress his blood vessels and heart. This lesson is not only a wake-up call for himself, but also a vivid reminder of healthy eating for those around him.
Uncle Li began to rethink his eating habits, especially for the consumption of meat. For the elderly, there are two types of meat that should be avoided in particular: fatty pork and braised pork. This is not only because of their potential harm to the cerebrovascular system, but also because of other health problems that they can cause in the elderly.
Cholesterol accumulates in blood vessels, which thickens the walls of blood vessels and reduces elasticity, increasing the risk of cerebral hemorrhage and heart disease. In addition, a high-fat diet can increase blood viscosity, slowing blood flow and increasing the likelihood of blood clots, which can clog tiny blood vessels in the brain and cause a cerebral hemorrhage.
Although braised pork is delicious and tempting, it is usually cooked in a way that results in an extremely high fat and salt content in the meat. A high-salt diet is an important trigger for high blood pressure, which is one of the most common risk factors for cerebral hemorrhage.
Long-term consumption of high-salt foods such as braised pork will cause blood pressure to remain high, increasing the burden on the heart and blood vessels, thus posing a serious threat to health.
The sugars and fats in braised pork may produce some unhealthy compounds during high-temperature cooking, such as carcinogens such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are commonly found in barbecued meat, which may not be familiar to ordinary people.
Doctors advise Uncle Li and other elderly people of similar age to be more cautious in their dietary choices, minimising the intake of these two types of meat and choosing healthier sources of protein, such as fish, chicken breast or soy products.
Fish is not only rich in high-quality protein, but also rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which have a protective effect on cardiovascular and cerebrovascular vessels, and can help lower blood pressure and improve blood lipid levels. As a low-fat protein source, chicken breast has a lower fat and cholesterol content, which is more suitable for patients with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.
Soy products, on the other hand, provide plant-based protein, which contains a lot of dietary fiber and trace elements, which not only helps to control weight, but also helps lower cholesterol and prevent cardiovascular disease.
So, in addition to eating healthier, Uncle Li's doctor also made an interesting suggestion: be more active. You know, in fact, moderate physical activity has great benefits for cardiopulmonary function, can improve our metabolism, control weight, and help stabilize blood pressure.
Let's talk about this exercise, you don't have to go to the gym to carry a big iron or run a marathon. For an elderly person like Uncle Li, it may be a walk, doing tai chi, or simple housework. These light activities can increase the heart rate and improve blood circulation, which is beneficial to the heart and cerebrovascular.
Don't forget about mentality. Staying optimistic and in a good mood is also especially good for the body. Mental health, to put it bluntly, is to make us happy and less stressful. If Uncle Li can chat with friends and family more and participate in some favorite activities, these can help him maintain a good mood and reduce the risk of diseases such as cerebral hemorrhage.
Quitting smoking is definitely a big way to survive such a big trouble as a cerebral hemorrhage. Did you know that the nicotine in smoke and other bad things are like little monsters in blood vessels, they wreak havoc in them, speed up the hardening of arteries, and make the blood more coagulable, like making rivers muddy, so that the risk of cerebral hemorrhage is much higher?
Regular check-ups are also crucial. It's like doing a regular maintenance for your body, detecting the invisible health killers such as high blood pressure or high cholesterol early, and then dealing with them in time, which can greatly reduce the chance of them causing damage. In this way, you can stop the big problem of cerebral hemorrhage in advance.
While changing habits may take time and effort, the effort is worth it for health and a better quality of life in the future. Every small change can have a positive impact on big health, so that Uncle Li and other elderly friends can enjoy a healthier and more fulfilling life in their old age. (All names have been changed)
What do you think about cerebral hemorrhage? Welcome to discuss in the comment area!
[1] Chen Shaobo. Effect of early low molecular weight heparin in the treatment of patients with severe cerebral hemorrhage, Systems Medicine, 2023-06-20