How well do you know your heart?
The heart is a muscular organ in humans which pumps blood through the blood vessels of the circulatory system. Blood provides the body with oxygen and nutrients, as well as assisting in the removal of metabolic wastes. In humans, the heart is located between the lungs, in the middle compartment of the chest.
Your heart is a key part of your cardiovascular system, which also includes all your blood vessels that carry blood from the heart to the body and then back to the heart. It carries oxygen and other important nutrients that all body organs need to stay healthy and to work properly.
Do you Know how your heart pumps blood?
Your heart is divided into two separate pumping systems, the right side and the left side.
• The right side of your heart receives oxygen-poor blood from your veins and pumps it to your lungs, where it picks up oxygen and gets rid of carbon dioxide.
• The left side of your heart receives oxygen-rich blood from your lungs and pumps it through your arteries to the rest of your body.
Here is how blood flow through the heart
Blood flows through your heart and lungs in four steps:
• The right atrium receives oxygen-poor blood from the body and pumps it to the right ventricle through the tricuspid valve.
• The right ventricle pumps the oxygen-poor blood to the lungs through the pulmonary valve.
• The left atrium receives oxygen-rich blood from the lungs and pumps it to the left ventricle through the mitral valve.
• The left ventricle pumps the oxygen-rich blood through the aortic valve out to the rest of the body.
At rest, a normal heart beats around 50 to 99 times a minute. Exercise, emotions, fever, and some medications can cause your heart to beat faster, sometimes to well over 100 beats per minute.
TIPS TO HAVING A HEALTHY HEART
A healthy diet and lifestyle are your best weapons to fight cardiovascular disease. It’s not as hard as you may think! Remember, it’s the overall pattern of your choices that counts.
Abiola Salami
Cardiac Dietitian