Keeping your heart healthy is crucial for a long and healthy life. While health checks and electrocardiograms are useful, you can also pay attention to your body to detect heart abnormalities early on and seek timely treatment.

Area I. Forehead

In 2018, a study published in the European Society of Cardiology reported that people with deep forehead wrinkles were 10 times more likely to die from cardiovascular disease than those without wrinkles. The theory is that when blood vessels become sclerotic and blocked, the supply of oxygen is reduced, collagen regeneration in the skin is poor, connective tissue is less elastic and wrinkles are more likely to develop, and there is a greater risk of heart disease.

Area II. Earlobe

The wrinkles on the earlobes are known as 'sloping earlobe wrinkles' and are an external feature of patients with coronary heart disease. Cardiovascular imaging has shown a positive correlation between the depth of the diagonal earlobe wrinkles and the degree of damage to the coronary arteries. A team of researchers from the University of Chicago in the US conducted a survey which showed that people with wrinkles on their earlobes were eight times more likely to develop heart disease than those without wrinkles.

Area III. Neck

A thicker neck means a greater likelihood of dyslipidaemia and a higher risk of heart disease. If the neck circumference is more than 38 cm for men and 35 cm for women, it means that the neck is thicker and the carotid arteries are thicker. When the carotid arteries become thickened, the lumen of the blood vessels becomes narrower and blood flow slows down, resulting in a high risk of metabolic syndrome. A study conducted in Scotland found that people with metabolic syndrome were twice as likely to develop heart disease as the general population.

Area IV: Waist Circumference

There is a direct correlation between obesity and heart disease. If there is too much visceral fat, it will lead to abdominal obesity, resulting in "central obesity" or "visceral obesity". This type of obesity predisposes the body to disorders of lipid metabolism and increases the risk of heart disease. If a man's waist circumference is greater than 90 cm (35.4 inches) and a woman's waist circumference is greater than 80 cm (31.5 inches), then the waist circumference is excessive and you are at risk of developing high blood pressure and heart disease.

Look in the mirror and watch out for abnormalities in these 4 areas of your body! If your neck is too thick or your waist is too big, you should change your diet, control your weight and go to a specialist clinic for a heart check as soon as possible. The most accurate way to determine the health of your heart is through various tests from your doctor!

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