The importance of having a healthy heart

In all living organisms which are vertebrates the organ which is responsible for the pumping of the blood is called the heart. This organ is basically composed of a cardiac muscle which performs constant contractions by which it pumps blood thru the veins and arteries to all of the organs and muscles of the body. Scientists have determined that a human heart beats approximately seventy times each minute, meaning that a person who has lived to be sixty years old would have a heart that has beaten an approximate of two billion times.

The functions of the heart are divided into two groups, one is performed by the left side of the heart and the other is performed by the right side of the heart simultaneously. The left side is responsible to gather oxygenated, clean blood from the lungs and to pump in into the circulation system so that it can irrigate all of the organs and muscles. The right side of the heart has the function of collecting the used blood with contains carbon dioxide and to send it to the lungs where the carbon dioxide will be expelled and fresh oxygen will once again be added. Doctors recommend regular cardiovascular exercise such as walking, jogging, o swimming to maintain a healthy heart and healthy lungs and to eliminate excess fat from the body. One the most serious and common heart diseases is high blood cholesterol which causes a clogging of the arteries which impedes blood to flow freely throughout the body and which can have terrible consequences such as stroke and heart attack. Doctors have stated the importance of maintaining a healthy diet based on fruits, vegetables and lean protein in order to achieve good cholesterol levels.