How to Prevent an Aneurysm

Worldwide, 500,000 people die each year as a result of brain aneurysms, and half of those people are aged 50 and below. For those who suffer a brain aneurysm but survive, about 66% suffer from neurological problems even after recovery.

Knowing how to prevent an aneurysm can help people take steps early on to lower their risk of brain aneurysms. It can also help people make lifestyle changes that can improve their quality of life and allows them to live longer and healthier.

6 Tips on how to prevent an aneurysm

Here are 6 simple tips that can teach you how to prevent an aneurysm.

Exercise more

Exercise does a lot of good for your body. In fact, people who exercise daily tend to live longer and have a better quality of life compared to those who do not exercise. Exercise benefits not just a person’s muscles and bones, but also the cardiovascular system.

This is because whenever you exercise, you are helping strengthen your heart, lungs, and the entire cardiovascular system. Regular exercise lowers your chances of having high blood pressure.

If your blood vessels are in good condition, then you are lowering the chances that an aneurysm would develop.

Ideally, it’s best to exercise for at least 30 minutes each day, or about 150 minutes a week.

If it is your first time to exercise regularly, try to keep it simple and make it a habit. Save complicated exercises for later. By making exercise a habit, you are making it a part of your lifestyle which makes it much more sustainable and less of a “chore.”

It also helps if you have a friend or a loved one exercise with you so that the both of you can motivate each other to stay fit and healthy.

Eat a balanced diet

As far as how to prevent an aneurysm is concerned, your diet plays a big role when it comes to the risk of a brain aneurysm.. The main culprit of aneurysms is hypertension, or high blood pressure.

Having high blood pressure  causes your artery walls to get thin and “balloon” out, which becomes an aneurysm.

In order to avoid this, you need to eat a balanced diet that’s low in fat and cholesterol, and high in vitamins, minerals, and fiber.

Fat and cholesterol are both contributors to a person’s risk of an aneurysm. Fat and cholesterol can increase a person’s risk of hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, and aneurysm. So by simply cutting out foods that are high in fat and cholesterol, you are already lowering your risk of an aneurysm.

Consuming more vegetables and fruits, and less processed and fatty foods also helps. When it comes to meat and carbohydrates, it would be best to eat these in moderation, and try to eat lean meat and whole grains.

Fish is another ideal food since fishes like mackerel, tuna, salmon, and sardines contain omega-3 fatty acids. These fatty acids can help lower the cholesterolin your blood and are a type of “good” fat that your body needs.

Maintain a healthy weight

Aside from exercise and having a healthy diet, losing extra weight is another important part of how to prevent an aneurysm.

Obese and overweight people have a higher risk of having hypertension, heart disease, diabetes and aneurysm.

In the case of aneurysms, the layers of fat in the body make it more difficult for the heart and blood vessels to pump blood. This makes them work harder, and causes higher blood pressure which can weaken the arteries and cause an aneurysm.

Even losing just 5 to 10% of their current weight can significantly lower their risk of an aneurysm.

Limit or quit smoking

Another risk factor to brain aneurysms is smoking. Aside from increasing the risk of lung cancer, smoking also puts a person at a high risk for cardiovascular problems, including aneurysms.

This is because smoking directly damages your arteries and causes their walls to weaken. Over time, this can develop into an aneurysm which is very dangerous.

Smoking also increases a person’s risk for hypertension, which is another risk factor for brain aneurysms.

So if you are a smoker, or if a close friend or a loved one is a smoker, it would be best to urge them to limit or quit smoking as soon as possible.

Limit or avoid drinking alcohol

Drinking alcohol is another risk factor that can increase a person’s risk of an aneurysm. In particular, drinking large amounts of alcohol has been found to increase a person’s risk, while drinking moderately was found to lower a person’s risk.

The risk was also higher for people who were currently heavy drinkers. Meanwhile, former heavy drinkers have a lower risk of developing an aneurysm.

Get screened

Lastly, it is important to get screened for aneurysms, especially if it runs in your family.

Aneurysm screening checks if there is a bulge or aneurysm in the aorta. And if your doctor finds one, you can immediately take steps to prevent it from rupturing.

In particular, men who are aged 65 and above are at a high risk for an aneurysm. So it is important for them to get screened regularly.

By following these tips, you can help lower your risk of not just an aneurysm, but other cardiovascular diseases as well.

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