Did you see the article in the New York Times Health Section on how to protect your heart? I was familiar with no smoking, low cholesterol and blood pressure, regular exercise and weight loss control. There were some new suggestions that caught my eye though.
As we learn more through research and why heart attacks happen, some of the ways to avoid them is different than it used to be. As an example diet and exercise controls are not as strict. The food tastes better, is cheaper and you don’t have to drown in a pool of sweat to get the benefits of exercise.
The risk factors have not changed though. Heredity, genetics, high cholesterol and blood pressure, smoking, diabetes, belly fat, and our sedentary lifestyles all play a part. There is a newer factor that is becoming recognized as even more important as a cause of heart attacks and that is C-reactive protein, or CRP.
It is a marker in the blood that is concerned with inflammation that, along with coagulation factors, is now increasingly recognized as the driving force behind clots that block blood flow to the heart.
Even if your cholesterol is normal, your risk of heart attack goes up if the CRP is elevated. Some doctors are starting to believe that when people have their cholesterol checked, they should also be tested for high-sensitivity CRP.
The new advice on what to eat actually was known before we were told to eat a low-fat diet. Doctors knew as far back as 1958 that heart disease was rare in the Mediterranean and Asian regions where vegetables, grains, fruits, beans and fish were the dietary the usual foods. The US diet on the other hand is filled with red meat, cheese and other foods rich in saturated fats, heart disease and cardiac deaths were epidemic.
What was missed at the time and has now become increasingly apparent is that the heart-healthy Mediterranean diet is not really low in fat, but its main sources of fat olive oil and oily fish as well as nuts, seeds and certain vegetables help to prevent heart disease by improving cholesterol ratios and reducing inflammation.
One study in 1999 on the value of a traditional Mediterranean diet found that within four years, the Mediterranean approach reduced the rates of heart disease recurrence and cardiac death by 50 to 70 percent when compared with the heart association diet. Several subsequent studies have confirmed the same approach to diet.
More than 90% of the people who try the Mediterranean diet stick to it. The food tastes great and you can buy it in any grocery store.
Some of the foods that help to reduce the inflammatory marker CRP are cold-water fish like salmon, tuna and mackerel; flax seed; walnuts; and canola oil and margarine based on canola oil. Fish oil capsules are also an effective supplement. Another good tip is to try cooking with canola oil and using more expensive and aromatic olive oil for salads.
Vegetables, fruits and red wine (or purple grape juice) are helpful also because the antioxidants help prevent LDL cholesterol from forming in the arteries.
Something else to consider is a link between periodontal disease and increased risk of heart disease, most likely because gum disease causes low-grade chronic inflammation. So good dental hygiene, and regular periodontal cleanings, can help protect your heart as well as your teeth.
Reducing chronic stress is another important factor. A study of the effects of stress in more than 27,000 people, found that stress more than doubled the risk of heart attacks.
So remember not to sweat the small stuff, and it’s ALL small stuff. And getting enough sleep improves the ability to manage stress. Take a deep breath and relax or try meditation, prayer, yoga, self-hypnosis, laughter, taking a midday nap, getting a dog or cat, taking up a hobby and exercising regularly.
A final note on exercising. Did you know that a 1996 study found that just 15 minutes of exercise five days a week decreased the risk of cardiac death by 46 percent. A current British study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that building up short brisk three minute walks for a total of 30 minutes a day did as much cardiac good as one continuous 30-minute session.
As we learn more through research and why heart attacks happen, some of the ways to avoid them is different than it used to be. As an example diet and exercise controls are not as strict. The food tastes better, is cheaper and you don’t have to drown in a pool of sweat to get the benefits of exercise.
The risk factors have not changed though. Heredity, genetics, high cholesterol and blood pressure, smoking, diabetes, belly fat, and our sedentary lifestyles all play a part. There is a newer factor that is becoming recognized as even more important as a cause of heart attacks and that is C-reactive protein, or CRP.
It is a marker in the blood that is concerned with inflammation that, along with coagulation factors, is now increasingly recognized as the driving force behind clots that block blood flow to the heart.
Even if your cholesterol is normal, your risk of heart attack goes up if the CRP is elevated. Some doctors are starting to believe that when people have their cholesterol checked, they should also be tested for high-sensitivity CRP.
The new advice on what to eat actually was known before we were told to eat a low-fat diet. Doctors knew as far back as 1958 that heart disease was rare in the Mediterranean and Asian regions where vegetables, grains, fruits, beans and fish were the dietary the usual foods. The US diet on the other hand is filled with red meat, cheese and other foods rich in saturated fats, heart disease and cardiac deaths were epidemic.
What was missed at the time and has now become increasingly apparent is that the heart-healthy Mediterranean diet is not really low in fat, but its main sources of fat olive oil and oily fish as well as nuts, seeds and certain vegetables help to prevent heart disease by improving cholesterol ratios and reducing inflammation.
One study in 1999 on the value of a traditional Mediterranean diet found that within four years, the Mediterranean approach reduced the rates of heart disease recurrence and cardiac death by 50 to 70 percent when compared with the heart association diet. Several subsequent studies have confirmed the same approach to diet.
More than 90% of the people who try the Mediterranean diet stick to it. The food tastes great and you can buy it in any grocery store.
Some of the foods that help to reduce the inflammatory marker CRP are cold-water fish like salmon, tuna and mackerel; flax seed; walnuts; and canola oil and margarine based on canola oil. Fish oil capsules are also an effective supplement. Another good tip is to try cooking with canola oil and using more expensive and aromatic olive oil for salads.
Vegetables, fruits and red wine (or purple grape juice) are helpful also because the antioxidants help prevent LDL cholesterol from forming in the arteries.
Something else to consider is a link between periodontal disease and increased risk of heart disease, most likely because gum disease causes low-grade chronic inflammation. So good dental hygiene, and regular periodontal cleanings, can help protect your heart as well as your teeth.
Reducing chronic stress is another important factor. A study of the effects of stress in more than 27,000 people, found that stress more than doubled the risk of heart attacks.
So remember not to sweat the small stuff, and it’s ALL small stuff. And getting enough sleep improves the ability to manage stress. Take a deep breath and relax or try meditation, prayer, yoga, self-hypnosis, laughter, taking a midday nap, getting a dog or cat, taking up a hobby and exercising regularly.
A final note on exercising. Did you know that a 1996 study found that just 15 minutes of exercise five days a week decreased the risk of cardiac death by 46 percent. A current British study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that building up short brisk three minute walks for a total of 30 minutes a day did as much cardiac good as one continuous 30-minute session.
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