{"id":110202,"date":"2025-01-31T00:52:32","date_gmt":"2025-01-30T17:52:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/justmetalking.com\/?p=110202"},"modified":"2025-01-31T00:52:32","modified_gmt":"2025-01-30T17:52:32","slug":"your-feet-can-warn-you-about-clogged-arteries-and-heart-disease","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/justmetalking.com\/your-feet-can-warn-you-about-clogged-arteries-and-heart-disease\/","title":{"rendered":"Your feet can w:arn you about clogged arteries and heart disease&hellip;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>When it comes to heart health and potentially clogged arteries, you probably think about things like shortness of breath, chest pain, or high blood pressure.Buy vitamins and supplements\n</p><p>But feet \u2013 the sneaky messenger of the cardiovascular system \u2013 are among the first in your body to send early warnings for serious conditions like heart disease and clogged arteries.\n</p><p>When it comes to your health, your feet might be telling you more than you think. Often overlooked, in fact your feet can signal serious cardiovascular issues, such as peripheral artery disease (PAD) and coronary artery disease (CAD) \u2013 two forms of atherosclerosis, where plaque buildup restricts blood flow in the arteries.\n</p><p><img fetchpriority='\"high\"' decoding='\"async\"' class='\"aligncenter' size-full wp-image-110205 src="%5C%22https:%5C/%5C/justmetalking.com%5C/wp-content%5C/uploads%5C/2025%5C/01%5C/feet-warn.jpg%5C%22" alt='\"\"' width='\"576\"' height='\"720\"' srcset='\"https:\/\/justmetalking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/feet-warn.jpg' https: sizes='\"(max-width:'>\n</p><p><strong>What is PAD?<br>\nBuy vitamins and supplements\n<p>Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a condition where narrowed arteries reduce blood flow to the limbs, most commonly having effects on the legs and feet. This condition occurs when plaque \u2013 a mixture of fat, cholesterol, and other substances \u2013 builds up in the arteries, causing them to stiffen and narrow, limiting blood flow.\n</p><p><strong>How PAD affects the feet<br>\nAccording to WebMD, your feet can provide the first signs of PAD through symptoms like:\n<p><strong>\u2013 Cold feet: Poor circulation makes it hard for warm blood to reach your extremities, leading to persistent cold feet, even in hot weather!\n<p><strong>\u2013 Slow-healing wounds: Minor cuts or blisters may take an unusually long time to heal, showing insufficient blood supply.\n<p><strong>\u2013 Pain while walking: cramping or aching in the feet and legs during physical activity, which subsides when resting.\n<p><strong>\u2013 Discoloration: Feet may appear pale, blue, or have a purplish hue because of reduced blood flow.\n<p>Ignoring PAD symptoms can cause severe complications, including critical limb ischemia, which may lead to infection, gangrene, and even amputation if left untreated. In addition, having PAD often suggests that atherosclerosis is affecting other vital arteries, including those leading to the heart and brain.\n</p><p><strong>What is CAD?\n<p>Coronary artery disease is a type of atherosclerosis that impacts the arteries supplying blood to the heart. As these arteries become clogged with plaque, the heart receives less oxygen-rich blood, increasing the risk of heart attacks.\n</p><p><strong>Surprisingly, CAD can also show symptoms in the feet:\n<p><strong>\u2013 Swelling (edema): Poor heart function can result in fluid retention, causing swelling in the feet and ankles.<br>\n<strong>\u2013 Tingling or numbness: Decreased circulation may lead to pins and needles sensations in the toes.<br>\n<strong>\u2013 Skin changes: The skin on the feet may become shiny and tight due to fluid buildup and poor circulation.<br>\n<strong>\u2013 Foot pain at rest: Unlike PAD, CAD-related foot pain may persist even when resting, especially at night.<br>\n<strong>\u2013 Brittle toenails: Poor blood supply may weaken toenails, causing them to become thick and brittle.\n<p>As per the American Heart Association (AHA), \u201cchildren and youth are increasingly at risk for CAD. So, preventive measures taken early in life can have greater lifetime benefits.\u201d Healthy lifestyles \u2013 managed by good nutrition, weight management and physical activity \u2013 \u201cwill delay the progression of CAD, and there is hope that it can be improved before it causes further health problems.\u201dBuy vitamins and supplements\n</p><p>And, AHA wa:rns that if you have PAD or CAD, chances are very high that you have the other.\n</p><p><strong>Give PAD and CAD the boot<br>\nPrevention is crucial when it comes to avoiding serious complications from atherosclerosis-related diseases. Below are some ways to protect your feet and overall health:\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Get moving: Exercise helps to improve circulation and prevent plaque buildup in your arteries. The Centers for Disease Control recommends adults aim for 30 minutes of moderate activity like brisk walking or swimming each day.\n<li><strong>Eat heart-healthy foods: Focus on a diet high in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and lean proteins. Cut back on processed foods and unhealthy fats.\n<li><strong>Butt out: Smoking narrows your blood vessels and worsens circulation, making it a major risk factor for both PAD and CAD.\n<li><strong>Take it easy: Chronic stress can make contribution to high blood pressure and heart disease. Practice relaxation techniques like meditation or deep breathing.\n<li><strong>Not so sweet: If you suffer from diabetes, keeping your blood sugar under control is the key to preventing complications in your feet and cardiovascular system.\n<li><strong>Regular check-ups: If you have risk factors like high diabetes, blood pressure, or a family history of heart disease, regular visits to your doctor can help catch problems early.\n\n<p>Your feet can provide valuable clues about your heart health, and paying attention to them could help you detect problems before they become serious. Whether it\u2019s cold feet, cramping, or swelling, these signs shouldn\u2019t be ignored.\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"</p><p>When it comes to heart health and potentially clogged arteries, you probably think about things like shortness of breath, chest pain, or high blood pressure.Buy vitamins and supplements But feet \u2013 the sneaky messenger of the cardiovascular system \u2013 are among the first in your body to send early warnings for serious conditions like heart\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":110205,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[404,410],"tags":[746],"class_list":{"0":"post-110202","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health-and-fitness","8":"category-life-hacks","9":"tag-hometips-lifehacks-health"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/justmetalking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/feet-warn.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/justmetalking.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110202","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/justmetalking.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/justmetalking.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/justmetalking.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/justmetalking.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=110202"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/justmetalking.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110202\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":110206,"href":"https:\/\/justmetalking.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110202\/revisions\/110206"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/justmetalking.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/110205"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/justmetalking.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=110202"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/justmetalking.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=110202"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/justmetalking.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=110202"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}</p></strong></li></strong></li></strong></li></strong></li></strong></li></strong></li></ul></strong></p></strong></strong></strong></strong></strong></p></strong></p></strong></p></strong></p></strong></p></strong></p></strong></p></strong></p></strong></p>