Heart doctor shares four ‘warning signs’ men ignore until it's too late
Many men are guilty of ignoring their health problems until a hospital trip is required and now a heart doctor has shared four warning signs that we should be looking out for.
In a world where there's more online advice than ever before when it comes to treating our bodies as a temple, it can be difficult to keep up with what is good for us and what's not.
When it comes to following advice, it's always best to listen to the doctors rather than the blokes who try and convince you that eating nothing but meat and eggs is what's best for us, and there's few better online than cardiovascular surgeon Jeremy London.
The American doctor has previously educated his followers about the biggest 'red flag' sign of a heart attack or the four foods we should be avoiding at all costs, but now he's back to share some of the warning signs which might point towards more serious issues in the future.
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In a recent YouTube short, the health professional explained that decreasing testosterone, signs of heart disease, erectile dysfunction and sleep apnea are all things we should get checked out by our GPs.
He explained: "They're all interconnected, but the crazy thing is that most men miss all of them. The first [warning sign] is decreasing testosterone levels and most of us chalk this up just to getting older, but really it's downstream from increased belly fat, poor sleep, lack of exercise. So fix these things before you go chasing a prescription.
"Number two, and this one's really important. Heart disease shows up about a decade earlier in men than it does in women. That's because women have the protective effects of oestrogen before menopause. That means that our window of opportunity is in our 30s and 40s, not our 60s.
"Number three, and no one likes to talk about this one, erectile dysfunction. This is not just a bedroom problem, it's a vascular problem. The blood vessels that support erection are very small. These get involved. Further, new symptoms of erectile dysfunction may be the early signs of heart disease.
"Finally, sleep apnea. This shows up with snoring, waking up exhausted, and this isn't just a quirk. Sleep apnea increases the risk of hypertension, arrhythmias, and it strains the heart. And most men that have it are not even aware."
He explains that increased belly fat, struggles sleeping and a lack of exercise are all significant issues which could present vascular issues further down the line.
Although there are amendments we can make, whether it's giving up alcohol or eating a little less read meat, it's important to do this sooner rather than later.
James Moorhouse