Dr. Rachel Delsarte, a board-certified family medicine physician from Atlanta, brings a holistic approach to addressing one of the most pressing health concerns in the African American community – heart disease. With her unique background in complementary and alternative medicine from Morehouse School of Medicine, Dr. Delsarte combines traditional medical expertise with culturally sensitive solutions for better heart health outcomes.
Why are African Americans at higher risk for high blood pressure and heart disease?
There could be a lot of factors that play into the risk for heart disease in our communities, but I think the biggest one is our diets. We traditionally do not eat the healthiest, we eat a lot of high sodium things, processed things, and I know this dates back to when we didn’t have a lot of resources, we just made do with what we could, but as a result, we eat a lot of salt, a lot of fried, heavy, just food like that, and I think that is a major contributor to our risk of heart disease. Lifestyle factors also play a role like alcohol consumption, smoking things like that lack of exercise, but I would say, the biggest thing in our communities is probably our diet.
What are some of the early signs of heart disease that often go unnoticed?
I would say some physical signs of silent heart disease may include headaches that just kind of linger for a long time, kind of feeling tired, sluggish, maybe having some chest discomfort that doesn’t feel like distinct chest pain, but just kind of discomfort, which could be other things, too, but could be signs of heart disease and some swelling in your legs that you’ve just seen over time, and just kind of didn’t think anything of it, but it’s continuing to progress. Other things may be if you have blood pressure that is just staying high all the time, and if you have elevated cholesterol that you’re not really taking care of as well.
How can African Americans advocate for themselves when dealing with these signs and having discussions about their heart health with their doctors?
I don’t get upset when people come with their WebMD explanations, I’m like, okay, what did you learn? What did you find? Tell me so that I can try to correct some things or validate you for what you did research, but I do think that it’s important for patients to be honest with what’s going on with their bodies. As physicians, we go through what we call a review of systems where we ask, are you having chest pain? Are you having shortness of breath? Have you noticed any swelling? And sometimes you may just say no to those things, because in the moment you’re not having it, but you have to kind of like, do a self assessment like, wait, last week I was kind of feeling a little funny there, and I think it’s just important to just have that self awareness, and be honest with your doctor about what’s going on with your body, so that we know how to help you, and also just not being afraid to ask any questions. I am a person where there is no stupid question like I don’t care if you don’t have the right wording, or you don’t know how to make it sound intelligent, just ask, just put it out there, and I will personally help you figure out what’s going on with your body, that’s what we’re here for.
What are some of the lifestyle changes that have the biggest impact on reducing heart disease and the risks associated?
I think that exercise is a big big one, it’s recommended to get at least 150 minutes of exercise in a week, and you can break that up into however you want to do it, I think the easiest is just doing like 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise per day, where you are actually getting a sweat and making yourself work hard. I think that is a number one way to reduce your risk of heart disease, weight loss, minimizing processed foods in your diet and trying to address some of those lifestyle factors like just don’t smoke, or minimizing alcohol consumption, and then just making sure that your diet includes a variety of things like fiber, lean protein sources and good fat sources, as well.
Are there any specific health screenings that adults African Americans should prioritize when it comes to heart health?
So definitely having your blood pressure checked when you go to the doctor having your cholesterol levels checked periodically as well, and A1C as well would kind of assess your risk of diabetes, so that may be on a case by case basis, you’ll need to just discuss that with your doctor. Some cardiologists also recommend getting a calcium score, which also aids in assessing your risk for heart disease. We don’t typically do that in a primary care’s office, but a cardiologist may want to do that as well.
How does stress contribute to heart disease and what are some effective ways to manage it?
Stress definitely plays a big role in increasing your risk of heart disease. It contributes to elevated blood pressure that may go unaddressed, it can manifest as chest pain and chest palpitations which put strain on your heart so it directly can impact your risk. Ways to minimize stress, again, exercise, I’m always going to harp on exercise, but talking with a therapist addressing those life stressors that are causing you to feel stressed, so talking that out with somebody, a licensed professional, meditation as well, journaling, those are my big things.
What role does diet and cultural food play in heart health, and how can they be adapted for better outcomes?
I think that making smart substitutions where you don’t compromise on flavor is going to be the most important, using more spices and more herbs in order to not really replace salt, because let’s be honest, things need a little bit of salt, I think, watching the sodium content so like not adding as much salt, and using more herbs and spices like garlics and onions, and there’s so many different types of herbs that kind of help bring out flavor in food, utilizing those more so than just the Tony’s is important, and then not only salt, but also butter, and oils, watching how much you use in your rice or your starches, just kind of being mindful of how much you’re using. It’s not that we want to just completely cut out things, because let’s be honest, those things add flavor, those things add a bit of ump to the food, but you just want to be mindful with how much you’re using like measuring things and not just throwing a whole stick of butter in something.
How do you feel about the shift in food consciousness and the FDA’s recent changes?
I think the shift is great, I actually love how healthy our generation, and younger generations are. I’ve noticed that, my younger population, when I asked them about alcohol, they rarely drink alcohol, they’re very health conscious, and I like that push towards a more health conscious universe or a world, because that’s how we’re going to stay alive and just live longer. So I think the push is good, I think that we need to do more pushing. I love that they have pushed to remove red 40 dye from food, and we need to do more of that, let’s try to push for the other dyes and all the other carcinogens and things that are not good for our food source, I love it, I think it’s great.
Are there any new treatments or preventative measures particularly promising for African Americans?
There is talk about Omega-3 being very protective over heart health, and you can get that through eating fish or eating other sources, lean meats, I think chia seeds also is a good source, flax seeds of Omega-3, and that may be a healthier supplement to take for heart health. However, there isn’t a one-all treatment that will just protect you from heart health, it’s all about your lifestyle choices that you make, and it’s all about decreasing your risk factors of heart disease. So I think that is more important than a like pill to take or a supplement to take, and I always stress, if you can get your vitamins and nutrients through food first, that is what you should reach for versus just taking a pill for something.
Are you on social media in case the community would like to follow you and learn more?
Yes, I am on social media, I’m on Instagram @rachel.delsarte, and you can also look up newvitals.com. That is my prevention wellness website, where I talk a lot about just preventive and lifestyle things that you can do to prevent chronic disease so definitely check that out as well.
