你的飲食對你心臟健康的影響

Introduction
Your cardiovascular system is an important and fragile group of structures that pumps nutrient- and oxygen-rich blood throughout your body. At the center of this system is your heart. The foods you choose to consume on a daily basis can affect the health of your heart. Choosing the right foods can make a difference in living a long and healthy life or being faced with the prospect of a heart attack or heart disease as your body ages.
你的心血管系統是一組重要而脆弱的結構，它輸送你身體富含營養和氧氣的血液。這個系統的中心是心臟。你每天所選擇消耗的基本食品影響你的心臟健康。選擇正確的食物對隨着你身體老化，想健康長壽地生活，還是面臨心臟病或突發性心臟病發作至關重要。

Fats
All diets should include fats; however, not all fats are good for you. Your body needs lipids to function, especially at the cellular level. Unfortunately, foods high in unhealthy fats and cholesterol can have a devastating effect on your heart. Foods high in unhealthy fats and cholesterol can cause the buildup of plaque in your blood vessels, particularly your arteries. Over time, this buildup can cause a block in the blood vessels, forcing the heart to work harder to pump blood through the block as well as causing the vessel itself to lose its flexibility. This can cause a variety of health problems, including heart disease, heart attack and stroke. According to the American Heart Association, you should aim for a diet that includes a variety of fats. Saturated fats should make up no more than 7 percent of your daily caloric intake; cholesterol should not exceed 300 mg per day; and trans fats should make up no more than 1 percent of your daily calorie intake.
脂肪
所有的食物都含有脂肪，但是並不是所有的脂肪都對你有用。你的身體特別是細胞層面，需要水分才能運作。不幸的是，食物中含有大量不健康脂肪和膽固醇，這對你的心臟有致命的影響。含有大量不健康脂肪和膽固醇的食物會導致你身體血管尤其是動脈中血小板的形成。隨着時間的推移，這種形成會導致血管阻滯，通過這個阻滯迫使心臟需更努力來輸送血液，同時也導致血管本身失去靈活性。這會造成一系列的健康問題，包括心臟病，突發性心臟病和中風。根據美國心臟協會，你的理想食物中必須包含有各種脂肪，每天的熱量攝取中飽和脂肪應占少於7%，膽固醇的攝取不應超過300毫克，而轉化型脂肪酸不應占超過每天熱量攝取的1%。

Produce
The amount of fruits and vegetables you choose to consume each day can also have an affect on your heart. Vegetables and fruits are full of the essential vitamins and minerals your body needs to operate, especially your heart. One additional benefit to making produce a large percentage of your daily diet is its substantial fiber content. According to the Mayo Clinic, eating a diet full of fiber-rich fruits and vegetables can help lower your cholesterol levels. A lowered level of cholesterol substantially reduces your risks for heart disease.
農產品
你每天所選擇消耗的水果和蔬菜的數量對你的心臟也有影響。蔬菜和水果中含有大量身體尤其是心臟運行所需的維生素和微量元素。另外一個使農產品佔你日常飲食中很大一部分的好處就是其纖維素含量。根據梅約診所提出的，一頓富含纖維素的水果和蔬菜可以幫助你降低膽固醇水平。降低膽固醇可以大幅度降低患心臟病的風險。

Protein
The types of proteins you choose to consume can also have an affect on your heart health. Consuming large portions or cuts of meat with high fat contents can contribute to the buildup of cholesterol in the blood. Opting for low-fat protein sources, such as chicken or legumes, can help reduce your overall intake of saturated fats and cholesterol. According to the American Heart Association, choosing protein sources such as fish give the added heart health benefit of omega-3s. Omega-3 is a heart-healthy form of fat, which can lower the overall triglyceride levels in your blood. This reduces your risk of developing coronary artery disease.
蛋白質
你所選擇消耗的蛋白質類型也影響你的心臟健康。消耗很大部分或份額高脂肪肉類會造成血液中膽固醇的形成。選擇低脂肪來源的食物如雞肉或豆類能幫助你減少對飽和脂肪和膽固醇的吸收。根據美國心臟協會，選擇蛋白質來源的食物如魚可增加Ω- 3脂肪酸對心臟健康的好處。Ω- 3脂肪酸是心臟脂肪健康的形式，它能降低你身體血液中總甘油三酸酯水平。這樣能減少你患冠狀動脈疾病的風險。

Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are also an important part of any diet. When the right carbohydrates (such as those made from whole grains) are chosen, they can play a part in your heart health. Whole grain products contain high amounts of fiber. Like the fiber found in produce products, whole grain can also help reduce your cholesterol levels, helping prevent problems such as heart disease. The fiber from whole grains has the added benefit of helping you feel fuller longer. This can increase your chances of successfully maintaining a healthy weight.
碳水化合物
碳水化合物在任何飲食中同樣是非常重要的。如果選擇正確的碳水化合物（如全穀類）食品，它們會對你的心臟健康起作用。全穀類食品含有大量的纖維素。就如農產品中的纖維素，全穀類食品也能幫助降低膽固醇水平，防止如心臟病之類的問題。全穀類食品中纖維素的另一個好處是使你更長時間感到飽脹。這樣更能增加你成功地保持一個健康體重的機會。

(恆星英語原創編譯,轉載請註明出處!)