Cardiovascular disease and nutriton

Vitality Research Institute is dedicated to empowering people through education, by developing, documenting, and disseminating research findings on the timely subjects of anti-aging, human life longevity, nutrition-based vitality enhancement, and the vitality health sciences.

The information provided by Vitality Research Institute is intended to educate and enlighten and is not intended nor should it be utilized as medical advice; each individual's specific health situation is unique, and individuals should seek the advice of a health care professional in matters related to his or her health and well-being.

Change Your Diet, Supplement Wisely, Lose Weight, Get More Exercise, Avoid Tobacco Smoke, and You're Likely to Live Longer and Better

The Doctor Says... | Major and Contributing Risk Factors | Eat As If Your Life Depended On It | Conclusion | References

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You are what you eat. If you consume risk-increasing foods and beverages, your overall risk of cardiovascular disease increases. Risk-increasing consumption patterns include "junk" food (high in sugar and saturated fat), alcohol, caffeine, tobacco, pollutants, carcinogens, and free-radical-forming substances and processes (ultraviolet rays from the sun, stress, etc.). The result is increasing risk of cardiovascular disease with every year that passes.

It's also true that you aren't what you don't eat. If you neglect to consume risk-reducing foods and fail to practice healthy behaviors, then your overall likelihood of cardiovascular health decreases. Risk-reducing consumption patterns include "healthy" foods in moderate portions, ample antioxidants, and adequate supplements (vitamins, minerals, amino acids, hormones and hormone releasers), coupled with regular exercise, adequate rest and relaxation, and emotional wellness. The result is the probable dramatic increase in the quantity of life (measured in added decades) and in overall quality of life.

The choice is yours.

The Doctor Says It's Going to Kill You, But Doesn't Say When

Leading Causes of Death. Heart Disease is America's Number 1 Killer. But it's not a single killer, stalking its victims one by one. Heart Disease is part of a gang of killers, including improper nutrition, obesity, high blood pressure, unhealthy cholesterol profiles, and physical inactivity. This gang may pick heart disease to take out an individual or the same gang may use cancer to make the hit. It doesn't really matter because the gang has learned how to beat the system: the immune system, the cell metabolism system, and the free-radical-damage repair system. But you can fight back. In fact, you can arrest the risk-factors before they commit their capital crimes.

Interrelated Health Factors. All your body's systems, organs, and tissues are aspects of your whole body system of health. The expression of disease may be cancer or cardiovascular disease or something else, but the underlying contributing factors are the same: less than optimal health and compromised capacity for the preventing the onset and progression of diseases. Interestingly, in the table below, over half of the health factors (indicated by hearts) are dietary.

Table of Interrelated Factors that Cause Cardiovascular Disease
[adapted and expanded from: 2]

Health Factor

Inadequate
Nutrients in Body

Obesity

Arthero-
sclerosis

Hyper-
tension

Elevated LDL
Cholesterol

Age-Related Increased Risk

Heredity-Related Increased Risk

Eating the Wrong Foods*

Eating/Drinking in Excess*

Sedentary Lifestyle (No Exercise)

Stress*

Adult-Onset Diabetes

Smoking*

High Salt Intake

High Total Fat Intake*

High Saturated Fat Intake*

Hydrogenated Fat / Trans-Fatty Acids Intake*

High Cholesterol Intake*

* Additional nutrients are required to prevent or reduce the effects of the free-radicals associated with this factor.

Summary. When you fight cardiovascular disease by taking pro-active, self-actualizing steps, simultaneously you will almost certainly achieve reduced risk of all types of diseases and unhealthy conditions, such that you are far more likely to live long and well.

And Now Some Important Information from the American Heart Association

Extensive clinical and statistical studies have identified "major" risk factors and "contributing" risk factors that lead to coronary heart disease (heart attack) and stroke. The risk factors are: [3]

Heredity -- offspring of parents and grandparents with cardiovascular disease are more likely to have heart attacks and strokes.

Men -- men are more likely than women to have heart attacks and have heart attacks at younger ages.

Increasing Age -- 4 out of 5 people who die of heart attack are over 65 years of age.

Physical Inactivity -- regular aerobic exercise plays a significant role in preventing heart and blood vessel disease. Even modest levels of low-intensity exercise is beneficial if done regularly over the long term. Exercise also helps prevent of control blood cholesterol, high blood pressure, atherosclerosis, etc.

Cigarette / Tobacco Smoke -- smokers have more than twice the risk of heart attack as nonsmokers, and the risk of sudden cardiac death is between two and four times the risk faced by nonsmokers.

High Blood Cholesterol Levels -- higher LDL ("bad") cholesterol correlates with increased risk of heart disease.

High Blood Pressure -- the extra burden on the heart causes the heart to enlarge and weaken.

Obesity -- the extra weight causes a strain on the heart; obesity leads to diabetes, high blood pressure, etc.

Diabetes Mellitus -- 80 percent of people with diabetes die of some form of heart or blood vessel disease.

Stress -- a potentially significant risk factor, particular in conjunction with one or more other risk factors.

Eat As If Your Life Depended On It

Start with a Healthy Diet. First of all, eat modestly; until the discomfort of hunger ceases, and long before the discomfort of overfeeding. Secondly, eat wisely: mostly vegetables and fruits. The best vegetables for promoting cardiovascular health are broccoli, cabbage, carrots, spinach, onions, garlic, and tomatoes. The best fruits are oranges, grapefruits, grapes, cranberries, strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries. To promote cardiovascular health, vegetables and fruits should be eaten uncooked, so that their vitamins and fiber are intact. Heart-healthy meats include broiled fish and skinless chicken. On a macronutrient level, strive to eat more carbohydrates and protein, and less fat, particularly saturated fats such as food cooked in oil (french fries, fried foods, etc.).

On the list of foods to avoid, try to eliminate all dietary sources of sodium (salt, "fast foods," diet soda drinks, MSG, baking soda, canned vegetables, commercially prepared packaged foods, foods with preservatives, etc.). [3, 4, 5]

Exercise Regularly and Sensibly. Regular physical exercise strengthens the cardiovascular system, reduces hypertension, improves blood cholesterol profile, and fights atherosclerosis. In addition, regular exercise reduces the risk of obesity, which in turn reduces the risk of diabetes and other conditions that are related to increased risk of heart disease. For individuals who are out of shape, ease into a regular exercise program and avoid gross overexertion, because the sudden physical taxation on the heart could be catastrophic. Instead, start with less vigorous exercise routines, like pushing away from the dinner table before overeating, low-impact aerobic exercise, half-hour daily walks, etc.

Remember: exercise is not a one-time fix to the problem, but part of the transformation from a sedentary lifestyle to a healthy active lifestyle.

The Extra Edge of Supplements. To give your body a competitive edge in reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, consider the value of supplementing key vitamins, minerals, amino acids, hormones, and hormone releasers. [4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9]

VITAMINS

Vitamin E strengthens the immune system and heart muscle, improves circulation, reduces risk of clots (preventing thrombosis: blot clot blocking a blood vessel), destroys free radicals.

Vitamin C important in treating cardiovascular disease.

Vitamins B6, B12, and Folic Acid deficiency has been linked to heart disease, particularly blocked arteries.

ADDITIONAL ANTIOXIDANTS

Alpha Lipoic Acid reduces risks of heart attack, lowers LDL cholesterol.

Beta Carotene reduces risks of heart attack and stroke.

CoQ10 promotes heart function, reduces risk of heart failure, reduces high blood pressure, speeds recovery from bypass surgery, reduces risk of heart attack, and prevents recurrences of heart attack.

Grape Seed improves vein and capillary circulation, and lowers cholesterol.

MINERALS

Chromium Picolinate fights atherosclerosis, lowers triglycerides, and improves blood cholesterol profile.

Magnesium contributes to proper functioning of heart muscle, keeps heartbeats normal, reduces angina.

HORMONES, RELEASERS, AND AMINO ACIDS

DHEA prevents unwanted blood clots, controls insulin, destroys free radicals, and helps reduce body fat.

L-Carnitine reduces fat and triglycerides in the blood, increases oxygen uptake and stress tolerance.

Human Growth Hormone (HGH) plays a potentially significant role in strengthening heart muscle, reducing atherosclerosis, and fighting obesity. Effective HGH releasers include Arginine, Arginine/Ornithine, L-Arginine, L-Glutamine, L-Lysine, L-Ornithine, Niacinamide, GABA, and OKG.

Conclusion

Every minute, someone in the United States dies of a heart attack. [4] An estimated 25 percent of people who have heart attacks have no previous symptoms of heart trouble.

Although listed as the 14th leading cause of death in the U.S.A. [1], atherosclerosis (also called hardening of the arteries) is responsible for most of deaths attributed to heart attacks. [4]

Cardiovascular disease is NOT an inevitable consequence of aging. Though proper nutrition, prudent supplementation, adequate exercise, and avoidance of risk-related factors (tobacco products, obesity, etc.), individuals in their upper decades can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease to the levels of youthful men and women.

References

[1] U.S. Government's Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Monthly Vital Statistics Report, 1993;42:2 as cited in Colgan, Michael, Ph.D. "Stop Aging: Part II," All Natural Muscular Development Magazine, March 1998, page 200.
[2] Ley, Beth M. and Ash, M.D., Richard N., DHEA: Unlocking the Secrets to the Fountain of Youth (Aliso Viejo, CA: 1997, BL Publications), Second Edition, page 78. ISBN 0-9642703-8-2
[3] American Heart Association website at http://www.amhrt.org/Heart_and_Stroke_A_Z_Guide/riskfact.html
[4] Balch, M.D., James F., and Balch, C.N.C, Phyllis A., Prescription for Nutritional Healing Second Edition (Garden City Park, NY: 1997, Avery Publishing Group), page 187-190. ISBN 0-89529-727-2
[5] Carper, Jean, Stop Aging Now! (New York: 1995, HarperPerennial, a division of HarperCollin Publishers), pages 41-43, 51, 61-62, 66, 74, 114. ISBN 0-06-018355-1
[6] Klatz, D.O., Ronald and Goldman, D.O., Robert, Stopping the Clock (New Canaan, Connecticut: Keats Publishing, Inc., 1996), pages 117, 126, 136-139, 165. ISBN: 0-87983-717-9
[7] Whitaker, M.D., Julian, Dr. Whitaker's Guide to Natural Healing (Rocklin, California: Prima Publishing, 1996), pages 189-202, 260-263. ISBN 1-55958-495-5
[8] Le Vert, Suzanne, HGH: The Promise of Eternal Youth (New York: 1997, Avon Books), pages 108-127. ISBN: 0-380-78885-3
[9] Murray, N.D., Michael T., Encyclopedia of Nutritional Supplements (Rocklin, California: 1996, Prima Publishing), pages 259, 287, 297-302, 326-327. ISBN 0-7615-0410-9
[10] Regelson, M.D., William and Colman, Carol, The Super-Hormone Promise (New York: 1996, Simon & Schuster), pages 73-81, 214-215. ISBN: 0-684-83011-6

Article from the Vitality Research Institute

Vitality Research Institute is dedicated to empowering people through education, by developing, documenting, and disseminating research findings on the timely subjects of anti-aging, human life longevity, nutrition-based vitality enhancement, and the vitality health sciences.

The information provided by Vitality Research Institute is intended to educate and enlighten and is not intended nor should it be utilized as medical advice; each individual's specific health situation is unique, and individuals should seek the advice of a health care professional in matters related to his or her health and well-being.

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