Cardiovascular Diseases include all diseases of the circulatory
system including acute myocardial infarction, ischemic heart disease,
valvular heart disease, peripheral vascular disease, arrhythmias, high blood pressure and stroke.
Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) is a term used to identify several
cardiac disorders resulting from inadequate circulation of blood to
local areas of heart muscle. CHD also called coronary artery disease,
or heart disease, is the leading cause of death in the United States.
Each year it claims more lives than the next seven leading causes
combined. Cardiovascular diseases kill some 950,000 Americans every
year, but as many as two-thirds of these deaths are preventable. Heart
disease can take many forms and it varies widely in severity. Some
people are born with it, but most often heart disease develops later in
life.
Coronary artery disease occurs when the coronary arteries become partially blocked or clogged. Atherosclerosis, the underlying cause of CHD, is the accumulation of plaque (cholesterol,
fat, and calcium) along the inner wall of an artery or vessel that
transports blood from the heart to organs and tissues of the body. The
buildup of plaque causes the artery to become thick and narrowed,
partially or totally blocking normal blood flow.
Although clinical signs of atherosclerosis often appear in later
life, the disease begins in childhood. The development of CHD is a
silent process often lasting decades before the onset of symptoms. The
earliest lesions in the lining of the coronary arteries or in the aorta
first appear between the age of 10 to 15. The result of progressive
narrowing of the vessels may be angina pectoris (pain in the arm,
shoulder, neck, or chest), myocardial infarction (heart attack), or
sudden death. Elsewhere in the body, the same process may lead to
serious and sudden decrease of the blood supply to the brain (ischaemic
stroke), peripheral vascular disease, or serious problems caused by the
weakening of the lower abdominal aorta.
Decades of research have shown us that when people alter their
lifestyles to reduce the risk factors for heart disease, they stay
healthier longer. And they can help prevent heart attack. Making these
lifestyle changes doesn't mean you can forego regular medical checkups.
Still, it's the best thing you can do to help keep your heart healthy.
After working with your doctor to make sure your medical risk factors
are treated, here's how to help yourself.
nonsmoker already, don't start. Avoiding the smoking habit is the
single best thing you can do to maintain your health and prevent a
heart attack.
overweight raises your chances of having high cholesterol, high
triglycerides, low HDL, high blood pressure and diabetes. Your local
AHA has materials on healthy ways to lose weight.
foods low in saturated fat and cholesterol. For decades the AHA has
encouraged Americans to eat a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet. Why?
Because saturated fat and cholesterol raise the blood cholesterol
level, which in turn promotes atherosclerosis, a disease process in
which cholesterol and other fatty substances build up in the arteries.
This build-up is called plaque, and it narrows the artery walls,
reducing blood supply to the heart. If the artery becomes completely
blocked, blood will not reach the heart and that part of the heart
begins to die. This is a heart attack.
regular physical activity. Regular aerobic exercise helps protect
against heart attack. Any physical activity will do. Try to do
something that works your heart and lungs for 30-60 minutes, three or
four times a week.
If you think that your reactions to stress may be hurting your health
or increasing your risk, do something about it. Make efforts to avoid
situations that cause stress, like saying yes to a commitment that you
know you don't have time for.
An extensive body of clinical evidence supported by animal,
epidemiologic, and metabolic studies has established the relationship
between high blood cholesterol and increased CHD risk. The relationship
is strong, continuous, and graded. [Grundy]
A number of risk factors for cardiovascular disease have been
identified. These include male sex, positive family history of
cardiovascular disease, hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, obesity, diabetes,
cigarette smoking, and physical inactivity. They cannot, without
independent evidence, be considered causative agents of the disease,
but they may aggravate some event in the overall pathogenesis
(development) of the disease.
Diet modification, based on the assumption that reduction of high
serum cholesterol levels, will reduce the probability of cardiovascular
disease. It has been shown that modification of the diet with respect
to levels of fat, kind of fat, and amount of dietary cholesterol of
subjects in metabolic wards under rigid dietary control, can result in
alterations in their serum lipid and lipoprotein concentrations. [Ahrens et al]
A high intake of polyunsaturated fat is important in the lowering of
serum cholesterol and LDL levels, dietary cholesterol has the least
impact.
The effects of high-oleic safflower oil (monounsaturated),
high-linoleic safflower oil (polyunsaturated), and palm oil (saturated)
on blood cholesterol levels were compared in normal and hypertriglyceridemic patients. Both the high monounsaturated and the high polyunsaturated
fatty acids achieved similar results, lowering of total cholesterol.
In another study, beef fat, coconut oil, and safflower oil were
exchanged in the diets of healthy normal volunteers. Mean plasma total
cholesterol was lower on the safflower oil diet compared with the
habitual diet. Mean plasma total cholesterol on the beef diet was
higher than on the diet containing safflower oil and lower than on the
diet containing coconut oil. [Reiser, et al]
Among Seventh-day Adventists, risk for CHD in non-vegetarian males was threefold greater than in vegetarian males. [Phillips, et al]
Substitution of soybean for animal protein caused a reduction in serum
cholesterol concentrations. In the Honolulu Heart Study, baseline serum
cholesterol was positively related to dietary cholesterol, animal
protein, and saturated fat. The percentage of calories from fat,
saturated fat, and dietary cholesterol was related directly to CHD
mortality.
Customary diets containing 60 to 70 percent of calories from starch,
such as those consumed in Asian countries, and by vegetarians, are
associated with low plasma cholesterol levels and low risk for CHD. The
low levels of plasma cholesterol observed among strictly vegetarian
populations may be attributable to the quantity and quality of protein.
Studies involving the substitution of soy protein and other vegetable
proteins for animal protein in the diets of hyperlipidemic patients
have shown a marked reduction in serum cholesterol levels.
Physicians know that the dietary supplement known as L-arginine can
help correct dysfunction in the arterial lining known as the
endothelium in patients with chronic heart disease. They also know that
regular physical exercise helps, too. Now a new study reveals that
combining the two approaches works even better. In the study,
researchers randomly assigned 40 patients with severe chronic heart
failure to one of four interventions: L-arginine supplementation,
forearm exercise training, supplementation and training together, and a
control group. After four weeks, the researchers used ultrasound to
measure the diameter of patients' arteries. They found that combining
the two approaches has additive effects that make the combination
superior to the separate interventions.
High blood pressure, or hypertension, is a silent killer. People who
are aware of this danger have checkups and take medication before high
blood pressure damages their heart and blood vessels.
Scientists now know that hyperlipidemia, or high levels of
cholesterol in the blood, can damage the blood vessels and increase the
risk of heart attack and chronic heart failure. Scientists have
identified exercise and modest alcohol consumption as two factors that
raise levels of the so-called "good" cholesterol and determined that a
diet low in animal fats results in lower levels of the "bad." In
addition, modern medications dramatically and safely reduce the
cholesterol level and keep it in check.
The following nutrients have also been shown to be benificial in
treating Heart Disease - l-carnitine, chromium, magnesium, selenium,
vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) and vitamin C.
Calcium has a role to play in the regulation of various body
functions including the cardiovascular and nervous systems. It keeps
your heart beating regularly, alleviates insomnia and helps to
metabolize iron. It is also believed that megadose vitamin E
supplements retard the aging process and prevent atherosclerosis and
cancer. Lecithin
a phosphatide or phospholipid, composed of choline, phosphoric acid,
two fatty acids and glycerol has also been shown to control heart
disease and atherosclerosis. If enough lecithin is present the disease
does not occur.
Nutrition Programs and Services
Food Labels:Evidence related to the role of dietary
factors in CHD supports the need for manufacturers to increase the
number of food labels with their total fat, fatty acids, and
cholesterol content.
Food Services:Evidence related to the role of dietary
factors in CHD suggests that the public would benefit from increased
availability of foods low in fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol in
food service programs. The need is critical for the one in four persons
with cholesterol levels that put them at appreciably high risk for CHD.
Food Products:Evidence related to the role of dietary
factors in CHD suggests that food manufacturers should increase
availability of foods and food products that are low in fat, saturated
fat, and cholesterol. [The Surgeon General]
The
nutrients mentioned above reflect the major nutritional supplements
that may help the condition. Please do remember however that
nutritional supplementation is an adjunct to medical treatment and in
no way replaces medical treatment.
- Grundy, S.M., Cholesterol and Coronary Heart Disease: Journal American Medical Association. 2849-2858, 1986
- Ahrens,
E.H., Jr, Connor, W.E., Bierman, E.L., Glueck, C.J., Hirsch, J.,
McGill, H.C., Spritz, N., Jr., Tobian, L., and Van Itallie, T.B., The
evidence relating six dietary factors to the nations health , A. J.
Clin. Nutr. 32:261-2748, 1979. - Reiser, R., Probstfield,
J.L., Silvers, A., Scott, L.W., Shorney, M.L., Wood, R.D., O'Brien,
B.C., Gotto, A.M., and Insull, W.,Jr., Plasma lipid and lipoprotein
response of humans to beef fat, coconut, & safflower oil , AJCN,
42:190, 1987. - Phillips, R., Lemon, F., and Kuzma, J.,
Coronary heart disease mortality among Seventh Day Adventists with
different dietary habits, AJCN, 31:S11, 1978 - The Surgeon General's Report on Nutrition & Health, 1988
