Heart failure (HF) is a growing problem worldwide, causing high healthcare costs and lower quality of life. While medications are key, lifestyle changes like diet, exercise, and managing weight, smoking, and stress are also important. These changes, along with medicines, can improve how well patients do, reduce hospital visits, and help the medicines work better.
Medications for HF include those that block harmful hormones (like ACE inhibitors), beta-blockers, and others that help the heart and kidneys. However, these drugs don’t fix everything. They don’t fully address lifestyle issues like poor diet, lack of exercise, and stress, which can worsen HF. So, it’s important to combine drugs with lifestyle changes for better care.
Lifestyle changes are very helpful in managing HF. Eating a healthy diet, low in sodium, and controlling fluids can reduce heart strain. Regular exercise improves heart function and quality of life. Maintaining a healthy weight is also important, as obesity can worsen HF. Stopping smoking and limiting alcohol are crucial for heart health. Also, managing stress and getting support for mental health issues like depression and anxiety can greatly benefit HF patients.
Combining lifestyle changes with medications works better than either alone. For example, exercise helps beta-blockers work better, and a low-sodium diet boosts the effects of some heart medicines. These combined approaches help to control harmful hormones, reduce inflammation, improve blood vessel health, and slow down heart damage. To make this work in the real world, patients need good education and support, and healthcare providers need to address issues like access to care and cultural differences.
