Imbalance or dysfunction of another common hormone, insulin, can harm your heart especially if you have insulin resistance or diabetes. When insulin is not functioning properly, your blood sugar levels will tend to be high and uncontrolled. This increases the risk of high blood pressure, high triglycerides, and high cholesterol which all contribute to a higher chance of heart disease.

 When the levels of another common hormone, cortisol, are disrupted, the heart is also weakened. Adrenal insufficiency, also known as Addison’s disease, occurs when the body produces too little cortisol. Low cortisol can lead to low blood pressure and low blood volume which can negatively impact cardiovascular health.

So how can you protect your heart from the harmful effects of hormonal imbalance? Balancing your hormones is a great start to preventing hormone-related heart diseases. Many ways to balance your hormones naturally include maintaining a healthy weight, prioritizing sleep, managing stress, eating a proper diet, maintaining a proper gut health including detoxifying your liver, eating an estrogen-balancing diet, and avoiding endocrine disruptors. Other ways to keep your heart healthy while balancing your hormones include: 

1.   Know your medical history: Be aware of any genetic predispositions you might have toward heart disease. Do you have close family with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or a history of heart disease? Knowing your genetic risk can help you effectively plan for a healthy future while developing a preventative plan with your primary care provider (PCP) and other healthcare providers. 

2.   Prioritize regular physical activity: Exercise is well-known to decrease the risk of developing heart disease. Regular physical movement will make you healthier and make your heart stronger. You don’t have to become an athlete to reap the benefits of exercise. Even low-intensity activities can improve your health and decrease your risk of heart disease. Move daily, avoid a sedentary lifestyle and your heart will thank you. 

3.   Fine-tune your diet: Aim for a heart-protective diet rich in plants, fruits, beans, lean meat, whole grains, healthy fats, and fiber. Diets such as the Mediterranean and DASH diet have positive effects on the cardiovascular system. Avoid diets full of saturated fats, trans-fats, sodium, and excess sugar as this often causes inflammation in blood vessels, increasing cholesterol levels and blood pressure, thus increasing the risk of heart disease. 

4.   Drink alcohol sparingly: Alcohol increases the risk of developing high blood pressure, atherosclerosis, and stroke. The risk of these negative effects on your heart increases the more you drink, so either avoid alcohol altogether or keep your consumption moderate. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that adults of legal drinking age can choose not to drink, or if you have to drink, consume no more than one alcoholic beverage per day to prevent negative effects on your health.