Coronary Artery Disease

Arteries are tough elastic tubes or blood vessels that carry blood away from the heart. As arteries moves away from heart, they further divide into smaller vessels. Arteries carry oxygen rich blood away from the heart and on the other hand veins return blood to it.

Normally, arteries have three layers. The inner layer consists of a thin lining of smooth endothelial cells that are backed by fibers and also supports components. It is surrounds by a layer of muscle, which in turn is surrounded by connective tissue cells.

The largest arteries are as thick as human thumb and the thinner arteries are as thin as hair. These thinner arteries are called arterioles. Arteries have thick outer walls and also thick layers of muscles and elastic fibers.

Arteriosclerosis, often called hardening of the arteries also, this is a term which is used to describe a variety of conditions where the artery walls have thickened and lost elasticity. Atherosclerosis is one type of arteriosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is caused by fatty deposits accumulating on the inner lining of the arteries. Other arteriosclerosis conditions occur from calcification of the artery walls, or wall thickening as a result of high blood pressure.

There are four different types of arteries that are coronary, renal, carotid and mesenteric.

Surveys about arteries

A research concludes that women who are used to drink tea are 60% less likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis as compared to non tea drinkers. Another survey concludes that 50 men and women having coronary artery disease drink black tea for 8 weeks. They drank four cups of either water or tea a day for four weeks. The arteries of a healthy person release the chemical called nitric oxide which causes the artery to dilate. People with coronary artery disease produce less nitric oxide and thus the arteries do not dilate normally. The study revealed tea reverses this abnormality while drinking water had no effect.

Courtesy: Dr John Anne

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Eat fish to prevent heart disease

It should come as no surprise that much of the developed world suffers from heart disease because of diet and other lifestyle habits. In the United States heart disease remains the number one killer among adults and demonstrates similar statistics in many other modern countries. The surprise comes in knowing that the majority of heart disease is avoidable yet educated people continue to ignore the dangers and promote lifestyles conducive to cardiac damage.

History has shown and scientists have found that the Eskimos of Greenland suffered very little from coronary heart disease despite a diet very high in fat. The primary source of fat in their diet came from sea mammals, which contain high amounts of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids. Researchers have also found inflammation markers, such as C-reactive protein and others, were up to a third lower in people who ate at least 10 ounces of fish per week compared with those didn’t eat fish. The more fish the people ate, especially fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids such as salmon, mackerel, and tuna, the lower their level of markers of inflammation in the bloodstream.

Omega-3 fatty acids are polyunsaturated fatty acids found in certain fish tissues. Various scientific studies have now linked omega-3 fatty acids with a reduction in the risk of developing deadly diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and most recently Alzheimer’s.

There is no doubt that the omega-3 fatty acids are essential to health. They are fundamental molecules in the structure and activity of the membranes of all cells throughout the body. They also have highly specialized functions in neurological tissues, especially the brain and retina. Because of their role in cell membranes, omgega-3 fatty acids are essential for the formation of new tissue and are therefore important for development and growth.

The human brain is unique within the animal world in that it forms a greater proportion of body weight than in other species. It is also unique in its composition. Of the solid (non-water) matter in the brain 60% is fat, or lipid, and of that, polyunsaturates form the biggest component. We are now learning that diet can alter brain composition and brain function.

As well as the proven physical health benefits, omega-3s are now also demonstrating impressive results in the treatment of mental imbalance leading to anti-social behavior, learning difficulties, schizophrenia and depression. A fish-rich diet helps keep the mind sharp. Previous studies found that people who ate fish such as salmon and tuna that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids lowered their risk of Alzheimer’s disease and stroke.

Courtesy: Greg Cook

Eating a Cholesterol Lowering Diet for Heart Disease Prevention

Balancing the ratios of LDL and HDL cholesterol is the aim of any cholesterol lowering diet because lowering the bad (LDL) cholesterol is a large factor in reducing the risk of coronary artery disease. The effect of lowering cholesterol has been medically shown to reduce the mortality risk associated with heart disease.

Cholesterol levels, which are measured in milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL), naturally rise as men and women age and are determined through chemical analysis of a blood sample taken via a finger prick or from a blood draw from a vein. For a healthy person cholesterol intake should less than 300 milligrams daily while someone with an elevated cholesterol level should consume less than 200 milligrams per day. One thing to remember is that although dietary cholesterol can raise your blood cholesterol levels, the bigger culprit in elevated cholesterol levels is saturated fat. Foods that originate from animals are the only source of dietary cholesterol.

The basis of a cholesterol lowering diet revolves around eating a mostly plant based diet rich in cholesterol-lowering foods. In fact this approach has been shown to as effective as using statin drugs to lower cholesterol
. This was proved out during a recent study showing that people who ate a rich diet of cholesterol lowering foods, such as soy protein, almonds, plant sterol-enriched margarines and natural fiber from oats, psyllium, okra, and eggplant for one year resulted in a 20% decrease in cholesterol, which is comparable to taking statins.

After starting a cholesterol lowering diet your levels will generally begin to recede after two to three weeks. When starting this type of diet the first thing you need to do is increase your fiber intake. This can be done by increasing the amounts of fruits, lots of vegetables, and whole grain products. The other thing that needs to be closely watched is the intake of saturated fat.

The reason for this is simple; nothing increases cholesterol levels quite like saturated fat. There are four main types of fat. The first two increase LDL cholesterol and need to be avoided.

1. Saturated fat found in most animal products, fast foods, and some vegetables should be avoided or at the least limited. Saturated vegetable fats include hydrogenated shortening, palm oil, coconut oil, and cocoa butter.

2. Hydrogenated or Trans-Fat is found in margarine and vegetable shortening.

The two fats that can be eaten in moderation and can help decrease total cholesterol and keep levels of the good cholesterol (HDL) high include:

3. Monounsaturated Fat is found in olive and canola oil.

4. Polyunsaturated Fat is found in safflower, sunflower, soybean, corn and sesame oils.

The best foods for a cholesterol lowering diet are high in starch and fiber and are a good substitute for foods that contain high amounts of saturated fat. You do have to be careful because although foods from plants do not contain cholesterol some do contain saturated fat, such as avocados. Recently the American Heart Association began to recommend that people who have high LDL cholesterol eat foods fortified with plant sterols. These foods that have been fortified with sterols or stanols help block the body’s absorption of cholesterol.

The thing to remember when undertaking a cholesterol lowering diet is that foods that contain high amounts of complex carbohydrates, if eaten plain, are low in saturated fat and cholesterol and contain the vitamins, minerals, and fiber you body needs. A healthy diet is the first step to successfully lowering cholesterol and reducing the risk of heart disease that is associated with high levels.

Courtesy: ANDREW BICKNELL

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