Heart & Vascular Care
Your first choice in heart care is in your own backyard. Benefit Health System offers board-certified cardiologists and advanced treatment options for a wide variety of diseases and conditions – right here in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Why Choose Benefit Health System
Our award-winning cardiologists understand the importance of personalized care. After all, the most important member of the Benefit Health System heart team is you.
Heart Conditions We Treat
Benefits Health System’s heart experts are skilled at diagnosing and treating a variety of heart and vascular conditions in adults and children.
Heart Services
Benefit Health System offers a broad range of heart and vascular services and treatment options.
Patient Stories
Meet patients who touched our hearts and hear what they have to say about the life-changing care they received at Benefit Health System.
About Your Heart
Do you have common questions about how to keep a healthy heart? Learn more from our Benefit Health cardiology team and contact us if you'd like to ask your own question.
How does a heart work? (Video)
Watch this helpful video to learn more about basic heart function.
How can I keep my heart healthy?
Move more, eat cleaner.
The best way to keep your heart healthy is to aim for 30 minutes of exercise five days a week, or 150 minutes a week. From taking a 10-minute walk a few times a day to parking further in parking lots, every bit of movement that gets your heart pumping is good for it.
Along with exercise, eating a healthy diet of vegetables and fruit, and staying hydrated with water, can benefit your circulation. Red meats, high-sodium foods, and refined sugar or processed food can be particularly damaging to the heart function, so eat clean when you can.
If you're not sure where to start, consider speaking with one of our registered dieticians, or take one of our free cooking courses so you can learn healthy recipes to share with your family.
Is caffeine good or bad for my heart?
Enjoy your coffee...in moderation.
Unfortunately, there isn't a right or wrong answer. For some people, moderate doses of caffeine or a strong cup of black coffee in the morning can be a benefit to help people feel more alert and focused at work; for others, coffee can be an addictive supplement that can lead to future complications.
It's important to talk to your doctor about your caffeine consumption, especially if it's coming from high-sugar sources such as soda. Soda sugar and caffeine has many side effects and negative impacts on our health, including increased risks for obesity, diabetes, and certain cancers, and all of this can lead to adverse impacts on your heart.
Coffee, too, is a strong component of caffeine. By discussing your daily intake with your doctor, he or she can make recommendations for changing your habits to benefit your health.
