Page 62 - BH-2-3

Brain & Heart Soccer fandom: A new cardiovascular risk factor

Figure 1. The first team of the 11 most prevalent cardiovascular risk factors

is essential to promote cardiovascular health not only you go all out from day 1, but get into the habit of moderate
through a medical-pharmacological approach but also exercise, “match by match.” (ii) Take care of your group
from a more bio-psycho-social perspective, encouraging of friends. Sometimes, a single person influences the bad
educational campaigns for health promotion and habits of the group. In such a case, remember the words
disease prevention. Adopting healthy lifestyle habits of Helenio Herrera: “It is better to play with 10 than with
could prevent up to 80% of cardiovascular diseases. 11.” (iii) When the match gets tense, practice emotion
The American Heart Association has developed “Life’s management strategies (breathing, mindfulness, or taking
Essential 8”: key measures for improving cardiovascular a “time out”) and try to put things in perspective: you
health and lowering the risk for heart disease, stroke, are playing for more than three points, and in reality, life
and other major health problems. These include eating happens between the World Cups.
better, being more active, quitting tobacco, getting
healthy sleep, managing weight, controlling cholesterol, Acknowledgments
and monitoring both glucose levels and blood pressure. I would like to thank every single person who has made it
From this perspective, the final objective is to beat the possible for me to write this opinion piece.
first team of the 11 most prevalent cardiovascular risk
factors (Figure 1). Funding

5. Conclusion None.
Finally, as a personal recommendation, when you watch a Conflict of interest
game for your favorite team, try to be prepared to prevent The author declares no conflicts of interest.
a heart attack from scoring against you. For this purpose:
(i) when it comes to cardiovascular risk factors, “there is Author contributions
no small rival”: avoid excesses, especially with alcohol and
meals, as we rarely consume broccoli and fresh orange This is a single-authored article.
juice while watching the game. If you smoke, quit. It’s Ethical approval and consent to participate
the cancer of the team. Consider this advice as definitive:
remember that “finals are not there to be played; they are Not applicable.
there to be won.” Take your necessary medication if you
have high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol levels, Consent for publication
etc. Engage in regular physical exercise. I’m not suggesting Not applicable.

Volume 2 Issue 3 (2024) 3 doi: 10.36922/bh.3200