Varicose veins are enlarged damaged veins that bulge on the surface of the skin. While it is a common condition that affects 40% of men and 70% of women by the age of 60, you can still prevent them from getting worse or even from occurring at all.

That said, here are a few things that you can do.

Maintain a healthy weight

Obesity or excessive weight is one of the biggest risk factors for varicose veins. Besides genetics, some patients have developed varicose veins due to excessive weight gain even though their families do not have any history of having them.

Many experts have repeatedly warned patients about the consequences of excessive eating without proper exercise. In fact, an Orlando vein clinic as well as vein doctors from other states have noticed these patterns among their patients. Without a doubt, patients are almost always adults who do not have healthy eating habits and are too busy to exercise.

Other than that, excessive weight also exacerbates the appearance of varicose veins because it increases the pressure on the veins. So for those who already have them, maintaining a healthy weight is the best precautionary measure that can prevent varicose veins from worsening.

It is also worth noting that after you effectively remove your varicose veins through treatment or surgery, there is still a chance that it might reoccur if you do not look out for your weight. With that, maintaining a healthy weight is one of the most crucial things you should do.

Stick to Low-Impact Exercise

Maintaining a healthy weight does not mean going overboard with your exercise and doing intense workouts regularly. If you already have varicose veins, then it would be best to stick to light and low-impact exercises. Because while intense workouts are an effective way to lose weight, they might do more harm to your varicose veins than good.

In a published document by the University of Michigan, it is recommended that individuals with varicose veins should do away with excessive straining exercises such as heavy resistance training. This, however, does not mean that you should forget exercise and training altogether. Remember that excessive weight gain is still a risk factor for varicose veins.

So to circumvent this, you should simply stick to light and low-impact exercise. Many vein doctors also recommend these types of exercises because it is much more sustainable in the long run. Given that most patients with varicose veins are busy adults, light and low-impact exercise are not only fit for their lifestyle but are also easier to maintain as well.

To help you get started, here are a few examples of light and low-impact exercises that can prevent your varicose veins from worsening

• Walking
• Running
• Cycling
• Swimming
• Water Aerobics
• Step Training

Before you get on with these exercises, it is important to note that moderation is the key to doing all of these effectively. For example, even though cycling is a low-impact exercise, it might be too strenuous if you overdo it. To avoid this, you should instead limit these exercises every day to 1 hour or so. 

Switch to Low Sodium Diet

The main idea behind this is that salt can cause your body to retain water, which could then result in swelling on your legs due to excessive fluid. This could then put too much pressure on your veins and contribute to the worsening of your varicose veins.

So rather than eat salty foods, you can instead look for foods that are beneficial for your vascular health. To help you switch up your eating habits, listed below are the foods that are great for your vascular health.

• Coffee

One study found that moderate coffee consumption can reduce the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE). It is a condition referring to the blood clots in the vein.                                           

• Horse Chestnut

Symptoms related to Chronic Venous Insufficiency are said to improve when escin (an active ingredient of Horse Chestnut) is consumed. A study also found that escin was as effective as compression therapy and they help reduce the swelling of the damaged vein as well.

• Flavonoids

Flavonoids found in different fruits and vegetables are considered to be a supportive treatment to reduce varicose vein pathophysiology.