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Information and advice on heart conditions & stroke disease, everything from prevention to illness for your wellbeing.
Read our glossary of related words with definitions by clicking on the alphabet below.
Heart Index - H
Heart Rate
The number of times the heart beats in a minute.
Hydrogenated fat
Hydrogenation is a process where hydrogen is added to liquid unsaturated fats to make them more stable and solid at room temperature. Trans fats from our diets can come from these hydrogenated fats, also known as artificial trans fats.
Trans fat raises bad (LDL) cholesterol and lowers your good (HDL) cholesterol levels. Over time, high LDL cholesterol levels can slowly start to build up in the walls of the arteries, which can cause narrowing and hardening of the arteries, leading to a higher risk of heart disease.
Heart-lung machine
An apparatus that oxygenates and pumps blood during open-heart surgery and heart transplants.
