One of the highest rates of death due to heart disease in the world affects the United Kingdom (UK). According to statistics, one British adult dies from the disease every three minutes; meanwhile stroke ranks third as the country's biggest killer, causing the death of 70,000 men and women each year.
Experts explain that heart attacks happen when blood flow is closed, often because a blood clot occurs, while strokes when a blood tube in your brain suddenly are caused by blocked or burst of blood vessels.
There exist various and different heart conditions, such as heart attack, heart failure, heart muscle disease, heart valve disease, congenital heart defects, angina, hardened arteries, high blood pressure and disturbed heart rhythm.
These conditions -such as heart failure, when blood is not pumped around the body in a proper way, along with congenital heart defects- can cause long term problems and death for sufferers.
The importance of heart is vital. This body organ pumps blood through the body carrying oxygen and other nutrients to the areas that need it. However, serious illness and even death can result when this process is interrupted or does not work correctly.
Although men are more likely to suffer from heart disease than women, people with poor diet, who smoke and do not exercise, are in greater risk for developing a heart related disease.
In order to alleviate symptoms or save the lives of sufferers there exist different tests and treatments, including drugs, heart bypass surgery and transplants.
Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com
Friday, October 31, 2008
Heart Diseases: Statistical Comparison Between Us And Africa
Cardiomyopathy is a rare heart muscle disease over the world, but not in Africa where it is one of the major causes of heart failure, according to experts that reviewed all available cardiomyopathy studies performed in Africa, along with all the information about the causes and types of heart muscle disease in Africa, where 10 per cent of the world's population lives.
A 10 per cent to 17 per cent of cardiac problems found through autopsies in South Africa and Uganda, and 17 per cent to 48 per cent of heart failure diagnoses in many parts of Africa are due to dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), which is an enlargement of the entire heart, explain researchers.
In the United States, 4 to 8 per 100,000 people are affected by DCM, but African overall incidence is unknown, because the corresponding studies have not been made yet.
Researchers' findings show that Peripartum cardiomyopathy has a very high incidence throughout Africa and Nigeria. This illness can cause heart failure and it develops between the last month of pregnancy and the first five months after childbirth.
Peripartum cardiomyopathy incidence in the US is 1 in 15,000 deliveries; meanwhile the incidence in South Africa is 1 in 1,000 cases.
DCM is caused by various factors, under generally accepted African theory. These include untreated high blood pressure, infective and toxic agents, inappropriate immunologic reactions, nutritional deficiencies, and genetic factors.
According to experts, it is important to do more research to understand the underlying reasons for Africa's high cardiomyopathy rate, and prevent or reduce it.
Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com
A 10 per cent to 17 per cent of cardiac problems found through autopsies in South Africa and Uganda, and 17 per cent to 48 per cent of heart failure diagnoses in many parts of Africa are due to dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), which is an enlargement of the entire heart, explain researchers.
In the United States, 4 to 8 per 100,000 people are affected by DCM, but African overall incidence is unknown, because the corresponding studies have not been made yet.
Researchers' findings show that Peripartum cardiomyopathy has a very high incidence throughout Africa and Nigeria. This illness can cause heart failure and it develops between the last month of pregnancy and the first five months after childbirth.
Peripartum cardiomyopathy incidence in the US is 1 in 15,000 deliveries; meanwhile the incidence in South Africa is 1 in 1,000 cases.
DCM is caused by various factors, under generally accepted African theory. These include untreated high blood pressure, infective and toxic agents, inappropriate immunologic reactions, nutritional deficiencies, and genetic factors.
According to experts, it is important to do more research to understand the underlying reasons for Africa's high cardiomyopathy rate, and prevent or reduce it.
Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
3 Tips For Preventing Heart Disease
It is simple to avoid or prevent heart disease; you simply need to steer clear of all tobacco products, stay physically active, and choose to eat the proper diet. These three tips will help you to avoid heart disease, but they are not all that easy for most people. They involve making changes to your habits.
Smoking is a tricky pattern to break, and if you are used to sitting all day in an office, is it tough to be more physically active. When it comes to exercise, what is lacking most is motivation. In today's fast-paced life, grabbing a quick bite to eat at a fast-food joint is all too often the reality of family meals. These meals are usually not all that nutritious. Break this habit and develop a healthy eating routine. Easy to say; difficult to do.
Sad to admit, but people usually only get really motivated to make these lifestyle changes when they see signs of heart disease. If you want to prevent heart disease, you must avoid tobacco, including second-hand smoke, lower your stress levels, watch and manage high blood pressure and cholesterol levels, become physically active everyday, and take steps to maintain the recommended weight for your body height and age.
Need more motivation? Visit your local hospital ward where patients are dying of heart disease. This folks didn't do enough to lower their risks of heart disease. Are you ready to go through all that just to be able to smoke one more cigarette or eat one more plate of fries?
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Antoinette_Boulay
Smoking is a tricky pattern to break, and if you are used to sitting all day in an office, is it tough to be more physically active. When it comes to exercise, what is lacking most is motivation. In today's fast-paced life, grabbing a quick bite to eat at a fast-food joint is all too often the reality of family meals. These meals are usually not all that nutritious. Break this habit and develop a healthy eating routine. Easy to say; difficult to do.
Sad to admit, but people usually only get really motivated to make these lifestyle changes when they see signs of heart disease. If you want to prevent heart disease, you must avoid tobacco, including second-hand smoke, lower your stress levels, watch and manage high blood pressure and cholesterol levels, become physically active everyday, and take steps to maintain the recommended weight for your body height and age.
Need more motivation? Visit your local hospital ward where patients are dying of heart disease. This folks didn't do enough to lower their risks of heart disease. Are you ready to go through all that just to be able to smoke one more cigarette or eat one more plate of fries?
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Antoinette_Boulay
The Heart Un-Healthy Western Diet
"God sendeth and giveth both mouth and meat." Thomas Tusser
"The beef industry has contributed to more American deaths than all the wars of this century, all natural disasters, and all automobile accidents combined. If beef is your idea of `real food for real people,' you'd better live real close to a real good hospital." Dr. Neal D. Bernard, MD
The 'Western' Diet is a 'meat-sweet' diet. This diet is high in red and processed meats, sweets, fried foods, refined grains, and desserts. And after almost a century, it has finally become clear that this diet has become a serious threat to our health.
Obesity is primarily related to excessive caloric intake. The meat-sweet diet of USA has resulted in sixty-five percent of adults aged 20 y being either overweight or obese. Unfortunately, the numbers are increasing and the estimated number of deaths ascribable to obesity growing. The western diet is strongly associated with cardiovascular disease, hypertension, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis and cancer. Cardiovascular disease is the cause of 38.5% of all deaths in the US. Almost 65 million Americans suffer from cardiovascular disease. The second leading cause of death is cancer in the US. It is estimated that one third of all cancers (25% of all deaths ) are related to diet and obesity. Other chronic diseases strongly related to and influenced by the western diet are hypertension (50 million Americans), diabetes (11 million), elevated cholesterol (37 million) and osteoporosis (7.2 million) and osteopenia (39.6 million). Hip fractures greatly increase the mortality, and osteoporosis plays a major role in this disease.
Indications of the dangerous nature of the western diet started emerging almost a century ago. In 1916, Dutch physician De Langen published a study of showing the higher cholesterol levels of Dutch immigrants as those of the native Javanese. This almost double cholesterol level was associated with metabolic diseases such as atherosclerosis, diabetes, obesity, and nephritis. In 1950's, Keys and coworkers found that cholesterol levels and coronary heart disease mortality rates were high in United States and Finland, while being low in Japan and southern Europe. They attributed this to the substantial differences in the dietary patterns - an early indication that the 'Western" diet was heart unhealthy.
In 1958 a major scientific study called the Seven Countries Study, involving 12,763 men between the ages of 40 to 59 years began. These countries were the United States, Finland, the Netherlands, Italy, Greece, the former Yugoslavia, and Japan. Over a period of 25 years, about 6000 men died, of which 1500 men died of coronary heart disease. Populations with the highest consumption of animal food groups, with the exception of fish, had a much higher 25-year coronary heart disease mortality rates, when compared to populations with the highest vegetable, grains, fish and wine consumption. During the start of the study, the consumption of milk, potatoes, butter, and sugar products was very high in Finland. Netherlands had a similar but lower consumption pattern. Meat, pastry and fruit consumption (meat-sweet diet) was high in the United States. The Italians ate a lot of cereal and drank moderate amounts of wine while bread consumption was high in the former Yugoslavia. Greeks consumed high amounts of olive oil and fruit, while the Japanese were fond of fish, rice, and soy products. Heart attacks... God's revenge for eating his little animal friends. -Author Unknown
How did the western diet emerge? The Western diet developed gradually over the last 200 years and was mainly a result of industrialization. In the prehistoric times, milk intake was limited to mother's milk as it was impossible to milk wild animals. "The human body has no more need for cows' milk than it does for dogs' milk, horses' milk, or giraffes' milk." -Michael Klaper, MD, author of Vegan Nutrition: Pure & Simple. With domestication of cows and other animals and subsequent ability for refrigeration, a whole host of dairy products became a staple of the western diet. The mechanized steel roller mills and automated sifting devices of today remove most of the germ and bran of the cereal grains, leaving mainly the endosperm as flour. The recent production of high fructose corn syrup greatly increased refined sugar consumption. Industrialization also produced more atpical vegetable oils for consumption that are high in trans fatty acids, as is seen in margarine and shortening. Salt intake is very high in the United States. Unfortunately 90% of the salt in the typical US diet comes from manufactured salt that is added to the food supply, and not from salt added while cooking or from the table.
"Meat, which contains cholesterol and saturated fat, was never intended for human beings, who are natural herbivores."William C. Roberts, M.D. and Editor in Chief, American Journal of Cardiology, vol. 66, October 1, 1990. Unlike meat from wild animals or pasture raised cattle, 99% of all the beef consumed in the United States is high in the unhealthy saturated fatty acids and n-6 fatty acids and low in the beneficial n-3 fatty acids. This meat is mainly produced from grain-fed, feedlot cattle. "The beef industry has contributed to more American deaths than all the wars of this century, all natural disasters, and all automobile accidents combined. If beef is your idea of `real food for real people,' you'd better live real close to a real good hospital." -Neal D. Barnard, M.D.
The western diet is also deficient in micronutrients (At least half the US population fails to meet the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for vitamin B-6, vitamin A, magnesium, calcium, and zinc, and 33% of the population does not meet the RDA for folate), is conducive to an acidic body status (fish, meat, poultry, eggs, shellfish, cheese, milk, and cereal grains are net acid producing, whereas fresh fruit, vegetables, tubers, roots, and nuts are net base producing.), has less potassium (Industrial periods caused a 400% decline in the potassium intake while simultaneously initiating a 400% increase in sodium ingestion ) and fiber (refined sugars, vegetable oils, dairy products, and alcohol, are all devoid of fiber. Refined grains contain about 400% less fiber when compared to whole grains, and the former represent 85% of the grains consumed in the United States). These are all detrimental to the health, especially cardiac health. Because normally with Western cuisine, you'll serve vegetables separate from the meat, so kids will eat the meat and never touch the vegetables. Martin Yan. Vegetables and fruits are mainly side dishes or desserts in the Western Diet.
More die in the United States of too much food than of too little. -John Kenneth Galbraith, The Affluent Society. The western diet has also become an excessive calorie diet, resulting in the obesity epidemic in the western world, with all its health consequences. Americans eat 3,770 calories a day, and have the highest per capita daily consumption in the world. This is more than a Canadian at 3,590 calories or an Indian at 2,440, according to data from the UN Food and Agricultural Organization. Unfortunately switching to diet sodas does not help - a recent report has shown the diet soda drinkers may be more prone to the dangerous metabolic syndrome.
When combined with inactivity and smoking, the western diet has become lethal. So cut down on red meat, especially beef and change to a prudent heart healthy diet. So, as an old English Proverb warns: don't dig your grave with your own knife and fork.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Shashi_Agarwal_MD
"The beef industry has contributed to more American deaths than all the wars of this century, all natural disasters, and all automobile accidents combined. If beef is your idea of `real food for real people,' you'd better live real close to a real good hospital." Dr. Neal D. Bernard, MD
The 'Western' Diet is a 'meat-sweet' diet. This diet is high in red and processed meats, sweets, fried foods, refined grains, and desserts. And after almost a century, it has finally become clear that this diet has become a serious threat to our health.
Obesity is primarily related to excessive caloric intake. The meat-sweet diet of USA has resulted in sixty-five percent of adults aged 20 y being either overweight or obese. Unfortunately, the numbers are increasing and the estimated number of deaths ascribable to obesity growing. The western diet is strongly associated with cardiovascular disease, hypertension, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis and cancer. Cardiovascular disease is the cause of 38.5% of all deaths in the US. Almost 65 million Americans suffer from cardiovascular disease. The second leading cause of death is cancer in the US. It is estimated that one third of all cancers (25% of all deaths ) are related to diet and obesity. Other chronic diseases strongly related to and influenced by the western diet are hypertension (50 million Americans), diabetes (11 million), elevated cholesterol (37 million) and osteoporosis (7.2 million) and osteopenia (39.6 million). Hip fractures greatly increase the mortality, and osteoporosis plays a major role in this disease.
Indications of the dangerous nature of the western diet started emerging almost a century ago. In 1916, Dutch physician De Langen published a study of showing the higher cholesterol levels of Dutch immigrants as those of the native Javanese. This almost double cholesterol level was associated with metabolic diseases such as atherosclerosis, diabetes, obesity, and nephritis. In 1950's, Keys and coworkers found that cholesterol levels and coronary heart disease mortality rates were high in United States and Finland, while being low in Japan and southern Europe. They attributed this to the substantial differences in the dietary patterns - an early indication that the 'Western" diet was heart unhealthy.
In 1958 a major scientific study called the Seven Countries Study, involving 12,763 men between the ages of 40 to 59 years began. These countries were the United States, Finland, the Netherlands, Italy, Greece, the former Yugoslavia, and Japan. Over a period of 25 years, about 6000 men died, of which 1500 men died of coronary heart disease. Populations with the highest consumption of animal food groups, with the exception of fish, had a much higher 25-year coronary heart disease mortality rates, when compared to populations with the highest vegetable, grains, fish and wine consumption. During the start of the study, the consumption of milk, potatoes, butter, and sugar products was very high in Finland. Netherlands had a similar but lower consumption pattern. Meat, pastry and fruit consumption (meat-sweet diet) was high in the United States. The Italians ate a lot of cereal and drank moderate amounts of wine while bread consumption was high in the former Yugoslavia. Greeks consumed high amounts of olive oil and fruit, while the Japanese were fond of fish, rice, and soy products. Heart attacks... God's revenge for eating his little animal friends. -Author Unknown
How did the western diet emerge? The Western diet developed gradually over the last 200 years and was mainly a result of industrialization. In the prehistoric times, milk intake was limited to mother's milk as it was impossible to milk wild animals. "The human body has no more need for cows' milk than it does for dogs' milk, horses' milk, or giraffes' milk." -Michael Klaper, MD, author of Vegan Nutrition: Pure & Simple. With domestication of cows and other animals and subsequent ability for refrigeration, a whole host of dairy products became a staple of the western diet. The mechanized steel roller mills and automated sifting devices of today remove most of the germ and bran of the cereal grains, leaving mainly the endosperm as flour. The recent production of high fructose corn syrup greatly increased refined sugar consumption. Industrialization also produced more atpical vegetable oils for consumption that are high in trans fatty acids, as is seen in margarine and shortening. Salt intake is very high in the United States. Unfortunately 90% of the salt in the typical US diet comes from manufactured salt that is added to the food supply, and not from salt added while cooking or from the table.
"Meat, which contains cholesterol and saturated fat, was never intended for human beings, who are natural herbivores."William C. Roberts, M.D. and Editor in Chief, American Journal of Cardiology, vol. 66, October 1, 1990. Unlike meat from wild animals or pasture raised cattle, 99% of all the beef consumed in the United States is high in the unhealthy saturated fatty acids and n-6 fatty acids and low in the beneficial n-3 fatty acids. This meat is mainly produced from grain-fed, feedlot cattle. "The beef industry has contributed to more American deaths than all the wars of this century, all natural disasters, and all automobile accidents combined. If beef is your idea of `real food for real people,' you'd better live real close to a real good hospital." -Neal D. Barnard, M.D.
The western diet is also deficient in micronutrients (At least half the US population fails to meet the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for vitamin B-6, vitamin A, magnesium, calcium, and zinc, and 33% of the population does not meet the RDA for folate), is conducive to an acidic body status (fish, meat, poultry, eggs, shellfish, cheese, milk, and cereal grains are net acid producing, whereas fresh fruit, vegetables, tubers, roots, and nuts are net base producing.), has less potassium (Industrial periods caused a 400% decline in the potassium intake while simultaneously initiating a 400% increase in sodium ingestion ) and fiber (refined sugars, vegetable oils, dairy products, and alcohol, are all devoid of fiber. Refined grains contain about 400% less fiber when compared to whole grains, and the former represent 85% of the grains consumed in the United States). These are all detrimental to the health, especially cardiac health. Because normally with Western cuisine, you'll serve vegetables separate from the meat, so kids will eat the meat and never touch the vegetables. Martin Yan. Vegetables and fruits are mainly side dishes or desserts in the Western Diet.
More die in the United States of too much food than of too little. -John Kenneth Galbraith, The Affluent Society. The western diet has also become an excessive calorie diet, resulting in the obesity epidemic in the western world, with all its health consequences. Americans eat 3,770 calories a day, and have the highest per capita daily consumption in the world. This is more than a Canadian at 3,590 calories or an Indian at 2,440, according to data from the UN Food and Agricultural Organization. Unfortunately switching to diet sodas does not help - a recent report has shown the diet soda drinkers may be more prone to the dangerous metabolic syndrome.
When combined with inactivity and smoking, the western diet has become lethal. So cut down on red meat, especially beef and change to a prudent heart healthy diet. So, as an old English Proverb warns: don't dig your grave with your own knife and fork.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Shashi_Agarwal_MD
Friday, October 17, 2008
Heart Healthy Prudent Diet
"1.5 million deaths per year in the U.S. are from diseases associated with diets high in saturated fats and cholesterol. The major dietary sources of fat in the American diet are meat, poultry, fish, dairy products and fats and oils. Dietary cholesterol is found only in foods of animal origin. Reduce consumption of saturated fat and cholesterol. Increase consumption of whole grain foods and cereal products, vegetables and fruits." Surgeon General's Report on Nutrition and Health, 1988.
The "western" diet, is characterized by high intakes of red and processed meats, sweets, fried foods, refined grains, and desserts. This has been found to be associated with a high incidence of chronic diseases like diabetes mellitus, cancer and the number one killer , cardiovascular diseases. Scientific data has repeatedly shown that a prudent heart healthy diet drastically reduces your propensity to succumb to these diseases.
So how do you change your diet to a heart healthy one? To start, cut down on the intake of saturated fat. A major source of saturated fat is meat, including organ meats and poultry. "Meat, which contains cholesterol and saturated fat, was never intended for human beings, who are natural herbivores." William C. Roberts, M.D. and Editor in Chief, American Journal of Cardiology, vol. 66, October 1, 1990. Other sources of saturated fats are egg yolks and dairy products like whole milk, cream, ice cream, whole milk cheeses, butter and lard. Certain plant oils like palm, kernel, and coconut are also high in saturated fat. On the other hand you can lower your cholesterol by consuming polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats. Plant oils such as safflower, sesame, soy, corn and sunflower seeds are high in polyunsaturated fats. Plant oils such as olive, canola and peanuts and fruits such as avocados are high in monounsaturated fats. "Those who eat flesh are but eating grains and vegetables at second hand; for the animal receives from these things the nutrition that produces growth. The life that was in the grains and the vegetables passes into the eater.
We receive it by eating the flesh of the animal. How much better to get it direct by eating the food that God provided for our use!" 1905 Ellen G. White 1827-1915 Founder of the Seventh Day Adventists. And completely eliminate or reduce to less than 2% the consumption of the heart unhealthy trans-fatty acids. These not only raise your bad LDL cholesterol but also decrease your good HDL cholesterol. In A recent Harvard University study of more than 80,000 women suggested that replacing just 2 percent of trans fat calories with calories from healthier fats reduced the risk of heart disease by more than 50 percent. No wonder, the state of California, and cities of New York and Philadelphia have passed laws banning the use of oils, margarine and shortening containing trans fats in restaurants, bakeries, delicatessens, cafeterias, and other businesses classified as "food facilities. Deep fried fast foods are typically high in trans-fats.
Eat grilled or baked fatty fish at least once a week. Fatty fish include salmon, tuna, sardines, or mackerel. Marine life is high in omega 3 fatty acids. These protect against cardiovascular disease by their anti-atherogenic effects. They also improve endothelial and platelet function, lower levels of oxidative stress and encourage plaque stability. Omega-3 fatty acids are also present, though in smaller amounts, in flaxseed oil, walnut oil, soybean oil and canola oil.
Eat more than 400 gm of fruits and vegetables per day. "Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet." Albert Einstein. Clinical trials have shown that diets rich in fruits and vegetables decrease cardiovascular disease by several mechanisms, including improvement in cholesterol levels, lowering blood pressure and decreasing inflammation, homocysteine levels, and blood clotting. Besides providing the cholesterol lowering poly and mono unsaturated fats, certain vegetables like okra and eggplant also provide good amounts of viscous fiber. Pooled clinical trial data from 10 observational studies reveal that for every 10g/d increment in energy adjusted fiber intake, coronary events decrease by 14% and coronary deaths by 27%. Plants are also rich in healthy ingredients including several phytochemicals, the vitamin folate and the electrolyte potassium.
Eat a variety of whole grains. Foods rich in whole grains include breakfast cereals made with e25% whole grain or bran by weight, dark bread, popcorn, cooked oatmeal, wheat germ, brown rice, and bulgur, kasha, and couscous. And decrease the intake of refined grains. Foods rich in refined grains include included breakfast cereals made with <25% whole grain or bran by weight, white bread and rolls, muffins, cakes, cookies, white rice, pancakes, waffles, pasta, and pizza. "I don't understand why asking people to eat a well-balanced vegetarian diet is considered drastic, while it is medically conservative to cut people open and put them on cholesterol-lowering drugs for the rest of their lives." Dean Ornish, MD.
Control your caloric intake. According to data from the UN Food and Agricultural Organization, the western diet that the Americans eat averages 3,770 calories a day, while the eastern diet in India averages 2,440 calories. Keeping your body mass index below 25 kg/m2 is beneficial. This was best exemplified by the economic crisis of 1988-2000 in Cuba, when the decrease in per capita food intake was accompanied by a drop in diabetes by 51%, heart disease by 35% and stroke by 20%. This study was published in the September 19, 2007 issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology.
Add a Mediterranean flavor to your diet. A large study evaluating adherence to the Mediterranean diet in the US population found that mortality from cardiovascular decreased by about 20%. This study involving 214,284 men and 166,012 women, was reported in the December 10/24, 2007 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine. So add olive oil, nuts and herbs to your cooking. Mediterranean herbs such as rosemary, basil, bay leaves, thyme, saffron, oregano, or coriander not only add flavor and decrease the need for salt in your meals, but also add heart healthy minerals and vitamins. And have a drink of red wine with food. Moderate drinking is heart healthy, and should be limited to not more than two drinks in men and one drink in women. Above this, drinking alcohol becomes a health hazard.
Limit salt consumption to less than a teaspoon a day. In a study from Brigham and Women's Hospital, and published online in the British Medical Journal, people who were pre-hypertensive, reduction in salt intake by 25%-35%, reduced their risk of cardiovascular event over the subsequent 10-15 years by 25%-30%. "It is postulated that 150,000 lives could be saved in the U.S. annually if everyone cut their sodium consumption in half. Unfortunately, most Americans get their salt from processed and restaurant foods." As a result, the American Medical Association has called for a minimum 50% reduction in sodium in processed foods, fast foods and non-fast-food restaurant meals over the next 10 years.
The benefits of a prudent heart healthy diet were well summed up in a report by Franco and colleagues in a 2004 issue of the British Medical Journal . These authors postulate that theoretically one can cut the cardiovascular risk by almost 76% by ingesting a meal which includes 400 gms of fruits and vegetables (21% reduction), 114 g of fish four times a week (14% reduction), 150 ml of wine a day (32% reduction), 2.7% of garlic per day (25% reduction), 100 gm of dark chocolate (21% reduction) and 68g of almonds per day (12.5% reduction). They also postulated an increase in life span in people over the age of 50.
So it is never late to change to a heart healthy diet. "When I was 88 years old, I gave up meat entirely and switched to a plant-foods diet following a slight stroke. During the following months, I not only lost 50 pounds but also gained strength in my legs and picked up stamina. Now, at 93, I'm on the same plant-based diet, and I still don't eat any meat or dairy products. I either swim, walk or paddle a canoe daily and I feel the best I've felt since my heart problems began." Benjamin Spock, M.D. (1903-1998). Changing to a more prudent diet even after years of consuming heart unhealthy western foods can bring about beneficial changes. Besides improving your cardiovascular health, you will also benefit from a significant reduction in chronic diseases like diabetes mellitus, osteoporosis and cancer. And if you give up smoking and combine the prudent diet with moderate to vigorous physical activity like brisk walking, biking, swimming or gardening at least 30 minutes each day, your health benefits will further increase
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Shashi_Agarwal_MD
The "western" diet, is characterized by high intakes of red and processed meats, sweets, fried foods, refined grains, and desserts. This has been found to be associated with a high incidence of chronic diseases like diabetes mellitus, cancer and the number one killer , cardiovascular diseases. Scientific data has repeatedly shown that a prudent heart healthy diet drastically reduces your propensity to succumb to these diseases.
So how do you change your diet to a heart healthy one? To start, cut down on the intake of saturated fat. A major source of saturated fat is meat, including organ meats and poultry. "Meat, which contains cholesterol and saturated fat, was never intended for human beings, who are natural herbivores." William C. Roberts, M.D. and Editor in Chief, American Journal of Cardiology, vol. 66, October 1, 1990. Other sources of saturated fats are egg yolks and dairy products like whole milk, cream, ice cream, whole milk cheeses, butter and lard. Certain plant oils like palm, kernel, and coconut are also high in saturated fat. On the other hand you can lower your cholesterol by consuming polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats. Plant oils such as safflower, sesame, soy, corn and sunflower seeds are high in polyunsaturated fats. Plant oils such as olive, canola and peanuts and fruits such as avocados are high in monounsaturated fats. "Those who eat flesh are but eating grains and vegetables at second hand; for the animal receives from these things the nutrition that produces growth. The life that was in the grains and the vegetables passes into the eater.
We receive it by eating the flesh of the animal. How much better to get it direct by eating the food that God provided for our use!" 1905 Ellen G. White 1827-1915 Founder of the Seventh Day Adventists. And completely eliminate or reduce to less than 2% the consumption of the heart unhealthy trans-fatty acids. These not only raise your bad LDL cholesterol but also decrease your good HDL cholesterol. In A recent Harvard University study of more than 80,000 women suggested that replacing just 2 percent of trans fat calories with calories from healthier fats reduced the risk of heart disease by more than 50 percent. No wonder, the state of California, and cities of New York and Philadelphia have passed laws banning the use of oils, margarine and shortening containing trans fats in restaurants, bakeries, delicatessens, cafeterias, and other businesses classified as "food facilities. Deep fried fast foods are typically high in trans-fats.
Eat grilled or baked fatty fish at least once a week. Fatty fish include salmon, tuna, sardines, or mackerel. Marine life is high in omega 3 fatty acids. These protect against cardiovascular disease by their anti-atherogenic effects. They also improve endothelial and platelet function, lower levels of oxidative stress and encourage plaque stability. Omega-3 fatty acids are also present, though in smaller amounts, in flaxseed oil, walnut oil, soybean oil and canola oil.
Eat more than 400 gm of fruits and vegetables per day. "Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet." Albert Einstein. Clinical trials have shown that diets rich in fruits and vegetables decrease cardiovascular disease by several mechanisms, including improvement in cholesterol levels, lowering blood pressure and decreasing inflammation, homocysteine levels, and blood clotting. Besides providing the cholesterol lowering poly and mono unsaturated fats, certain vegetables like okra and eggplant also provide good amounts of viscous fiber. Pooled clinical trial data from 10 observational studies reveal that for every 10g/d increment in energy adjusted fiber intake, coronary events decrease by 14% and coronary deaths by 27%. Plants are also rich in healthy ingredients including several phytochemicals, the vitamin folate and the electrolyte potassium.
Eat a variety of whole grains. Foods rich in whole grains include breakfast cereals made with e25% whole grain or bran by weight, dark bread, popcorn, cooked oatmeal, wheat germ, brown rice, and bulgur, kasha, and couscous. And decrease the intake of refined grains. Foods rich in refined grains include included breakfast cereals made with <25% whole grain or bran by weight, white bread and rolls, muffins, cakes, cookies, white rice, pancakes, waffles, pasta, and pizza. "I don't understand why asking people to eat a well-balanced vegetarian diet is considered drastic, while it is medically conservative to cut people open and put them on cholesterol-lowering drugs for the rest of their lives." Dean Ornish, MD.
Control your caloric intake. According to data from the UN Food and Agricultural Organization, the western diet that the Americans eat averages 3,770 calories a day, while the eastern diet in India averages 2,440 calories. Keeping your body mass index below 25 kg/m2 is beneficial. This was best exemplified by the economic crisis of 1988-2000 in Cuba, when the decrease in per capita food intake was accompanied by a drop in diabetes by 51%, heart disease by 35% and stroke by 20%. This study was published in the September 19, 2007 issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology.
Add a Mediterranean flavor to your diet. A large study evaluating adherence to the Mediterranean diet in the US population found that mortality from cardiovascular decreased by about 20%. This study involving 214,284 men and 166,012 women, was reported in the December 10/24, 2007 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine. So add olive oil, nuts and herbs to your cooking. Mediterranean herbs such as rosemary, basil, bay leaves, thyme, saffron, oregano, or coriander not only add flavor and decrease the need for salt in your meals, but also add heart healthy minerals and vitamins. And have a drink of red wine with food. Moderate drinking is heart healthy, and should be limited to not more than two drinks in men and one drink in women. Above this, drinking alcohol becomes a health hazard.
Limit salt consumption to less than a teaspoon a day. In a study from Brigham and Women's Hospital, and published online in the British Medical Journal, people who were pre-hypertensive, reduction in salt intake by 25%-35%, reduced their risk of cardiovascular event over the subsequent 10-15 years by 25%-30%. "It is postulated that 150,000 lives could be saved in the U.S. annually if everyone cut their sodium consumption in half. Unfortunately, most Americans get their salt from processed and restaurant foods." As a result, the American Medical Association has called for a minimum 50% reduction in sodium in processed foods, fast foods and non-fast-food restaurant meals over the next 10 years.
The benefits of a prudent heart healthy diet were well summed up in a report by Franco and colleagues in a 2004 issue of the British Medical Journal . These authors postulate that theoretically one can cut the cardiovascular risk by almost 76% by ingesting a meal which includes 400 gms of fruits and vegetables (21% reduction), 114 g of fish four times a week (14% reduction), 150 ml of wine a day (32% reduction), 2.7% of garlic per day (25% reduction), 100 gm of dark chocolate (21% reduction) and 68g of almonds per day (12.5% reduction). They also postulated an increase in life span in people over the age of 50.
So it is never late to change to a heart healthy diet. "When I was 88 years old, I gave up meat entirely and switched to a plant-foods diet following a slight stroke. During the following months, I not only lost 50 pounds but also gained strength in my legs and picked up stamina. Now, at 93, I'm on the same plant-based diet, and I still don't eat any meat or dairy products. I either swim, walk or paddle a canoe daily and I feel the best I've felt since my heart problems began." Benjamin Spock, M.D. (1903-1998). Changing to a more prudent diet even after years of consuming heart unhealthy western foods can bring about beneficial changes. Besides improving your cardiovascular health, you will also benefit from a significant reduction in chronic diseases like diabetes mellitus, osteoporosis and cancer. And if you give up smoking and combine the prudent diet with moderate to vigorous physical activity like brisk walking, biking, swimming or gardening at least 30 minutes each day, your health benefits will further increase
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Shashi_Agarwal_MD
Heart Diseases Part V - Heart Diseases Affecting Heart Valves
As we mentioned in the previous articles, heart diseases are caused by high blood pressure that contributes to the hardening of the arteries. High levels of bad cholesterol (LDL) build up in the arteries as a result of uncontrolled diet with high levels of saturated fat and trans fat.
Heart diseases affecting heart valves occur when the mitral valve in the heart narrows, causing the heart to work harder to pump blood from the left atrium into the ventricle.
Here are some types of heart disease affecting heart valves:
1. Mitral Stenosis
Mitral Stenosis is a heart valve disorder that involves a narrowing or blockage of the opening of the mitral valve causing the volume and pressure of blood in the left atrium increases.
2. Mitral valves regurgitation
Mitral regurgitation is the heart disease in which your heart's mitral valve doesn't close tightly causing the blood to be unable to move through the heart efficiently. Symptoms of mitral valve regurgitation are fatigue and shortness of breath.
3. Mitral valves prolapse
In mitral valve prolapse, one or both leaflets of the valve are too large resulting in uneven closure of the valve during each heartbeat. Symptoms of mitral valves prolapse are palpitation, shortness of breath, dizzy, fatigue and chest pains.
4. Aortic Stenosis
With aging, protein collagen of the valve leaflets are destroyed and calcium is deposited on the leaflets causing scarring, thickening, and stenosis of the valve therefore increasing the wear and tear on the valve leaflets resulting in the symptoms and heart problems of aortic stenosis.
5. Aortic regurgitation
Aortic regurgitation is the leaking of the aortic valve of the heart that causes blood to flow in the reverse direction during ventricular diastole, from the aorta into the left ventricle. Symptoms of aortic regurgitation include fatigue or weakness, shortness of breath, chest pain, palpitation and irregular heart beats.
6. Tricuspid stenosis
Tricuspid stenosis is the narrowing of the orifice of the tricuspid valve of the heart causing increased resistance to blood flow through the valve. Symptoms of tricuspid stenosis include fatigue, enlarged liver, abdominal swelling, neck discomfort and leg and ankle swelling.
7. Tricuspid regurgitation.
Tricuspid regurgitation is the failure of the right ventricular causing blood to leak back through the tricuspid valve from the right ventricle into the right atrium of the heart. Symptoms of tricuspid regurgitation include leg and ankle swelling and swelling in the abdomen.
I hope the above information will help you to understand heart diseases better. If you would like to read more of the above subject, please visit my home page at:
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kyle_J_Norton
Heart diseases affecting heart valves occur when the mitral valve in the heart narrows, causing the heart to work harder to pump blood from the left atrium into the ventricle.
Here are some types of heart disease affecting heart valves:
1. Mitral Stenosis
Mitral Stenosis is a heart valve disorder that involves a narrowing or blockage of the opening of the mitral valve causing the volume and pressure of blood in the left atrium increases.
2. Mitral valves regurgitation
Mitral regurgitation is the heart disease in which your heart's mitral valve doesn't close tightly causing the blood to be unable to move through the heart efficiently. Symptoms of mitral valve regurgitation are fatigue and shortness of breath.
3. Mitral valves prolapse
In mitral valve prolapse, one or both leaflets of the valve are too large resulting in uneven closure of the valve during each heartbeat. Symptoms of mitral valves prolapse are palpitation, shortness of breath, dizzy, fatigue and chest pains.
4. Aortic Stenosis
With aging, protein collagen of the valve leaflets are destroyed and calcium is deposited on the leaflets causing scarring, thickening, and stenosis of the valve therefore increasing the wear and tear on the valve leaflets resulting in the symptoms and heart problems of aortic stenosis.
5. Aortic regurgitation
Aortic regurgitation is the leaking of the aortic valve of the heart that causes blood to flow in the reverse direction during ventricular diastole, from the aorta into the left ventricle. Symptoms of aortic regurgitation include fatigue or weakness, shortness of breath, chest pain, palpitation and irregular heart beats.
6. Tricuspid stenosis
Tricuspid stenosis is the narrowing of the orifice of the tricuspid valve of the heart causing increased resistance to blood flow through the valve. Symptoms of tricuspid stenosis include fatigue, enlarged liver, abdominal swelling, neck discomfort and leg and ankle swelling.
7. Tricuspid regurgitation.
Tricuspid regurgitation is the failure of the right ventricular causing blood to leak back through the tricuspid valve from the right ventricle into the right atrium of the heart. Symptoms of tricuspid regurgitation include leg and ankle swelling and swelling in the abdomen.
I hope the above information will help you to understand heart diseases better. If you would like to read more of the above subject, please visit my home page at:
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kyle_J_Norton
Heart Diseases Part IV - Heart Diseases Affecting Heart Muscles
As we mentioned in the previous articles, heart diseases are caused by high blood pressure that contributes to hardening of the arteries. High levels of bad cholesterol (LDL) building up in the arteries as a result of uncontrolled diet with high levels of saturated fat and trans fat.
In the case of heart diseases affecting heart muscles, the heart muscles are stiff, increasing the amount of pressure required to expand for blood to flow into the heart or the narrowing of the passage as a result of obstructing blood flow out of the heart.
Heart diseases affecting heart muscles include:
1. Cardiomyopathy
Heart muscle becomes inflamed and doesn't work as well as it should. There may be multiple causes such as high blood pressure, heart valve disease, artery diseases or congenital heart defects.
a) Dilated cardiomyopathy
The heart cavity is enlarged and stretched. Blood flows more slowly through an enlarged heart, causing formation of blood clots as a result of clots sticking to the inner lining of the heart, breaking off the right ventricle into the pulmonary circulation in the lung or being dislodged and carried into the body's circulation to form emboli.
b) Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
The wall between the two ventricles becomes enlarged, obstructing the blood flow from the left ventricle. Sometimes the thickened wall distorts one leaflet of the mitral valve, causing it to leak. The symptoms of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy include shortness of breath, dizziness, fainting and angina pectoris.
c) Restrictive cardiomyopathy
The ventricles becomes excessively rigid, so it's harder for the ventricles to fill with blood between heartbeats. The symptoms of restrictive cardiomyopathy include shortness of breath, swollen hands and feet.
2. Myocarditis
Myocarditis is an inflammation of the heart muscles or the weaken of the heart muscles. The symptoms of myocarditis include fever, chest pains, congestive heart failure and palpitation.
I hope this information will help. If you need more information of the above subject please visit my home page at:
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kyle_J_Norton
In the case of heart diseases affecting heart muscles, the heart muscles are stiff, increasing the amount of pressure required to expand for blood to flow into the heart or the narrowing of the passage as a result of obstructing blood flow out of the heart.
Heart diseases affecting heart muscles include:
1. Cardiomyopathy
Heart muscle becomes inflamed and doesn't work as well as it should. There may be multiple causes such as high blood pressure, heart valve disease, artery diseases or congenital heart defects.
a) Dilated cardiomyopathy
The heart cavity is enlarged and stretched. Blood flows more slowly through an enlarged heart, causing formation of blood clots as a result of clots sticking to the inner lining of the heart, breaking off the right ventricle into the pulmonary circulation in the lung or being dislodged and carried into the body's circulation to form emboli.
b) Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
The wall between the two ventricles becomes enlarged, obstructing the blood flow from the left ventricle. Sometimes the thickened wall distorts one leaflet of the mitral valve, causing it to leak. The symptoms of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy include shortness of breath, dizziness, fainting and angina pectoris.
c) Restrictive cardiomyopathy
The ventricles becomes excessively rigid, so it's harder for the ventricles to fill with blood between heartbeats. The symptoms of restrictive cardiomyopathy include shortness of breath, swollen hands and feet.
2. Myocarditis
Myocarditis is an inflammation of the heart muscles or the weaken of the heart muscles. The symptoms of myocarditis include fever, chest pains, congestive heart failure and palpitation.
I hope this information will help. If you need more information of the above subject please visit my home page at:
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kyle_J_Norton
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