Antioxidants and Atherosclerosis

[Guest guest]

How Antioxidants Impact Atherosclerosis

 

How Antioxidants Impact Atherosclerosis JoAnn Guest

Jun 30, 2005

17:53 PDT

 

Atherosclerosis is the build-up of fatty deposits in

the walls of the

arteries. When these deposits, or plaques, build up in

the blood

vessels

of the heart, they cause coronary artery disease,

which can lead to a

heart attack.

 

When they build up in the blood vessels of the brain,

they cause

cerebral artery disease, which can lead to a stroke.

 

Atherosclerosis is the main underlying cause of heart

disease.

 

It progresses slowly and in some cases begins

development from as early

as childhood.

 

Heart disease affects 60 million Americans and is the

leading cause of

death of adults in the United States. An estimated

1,100,000 new or

recurrent heart attacks occur annually which

translates into someone

experiencing a heart attack every 20 seconds;

one-third of these

episodes will lead to death.

 

Although genetic inheritance and family history plays

a role in the

development of atherosclerosis, lifestyle and healthy

food choices are

being found to have equal, if not greater, impact on

arterial health.

 

In fact, a study published in the July 2003 issue of

the Journal of the

American Medical Association in which a whole foods

diet was compared

head-to-head with treatment by statin drugs found the

whole foods

approach to be so effective that the Comment

accompanying this JAMA

article is entitled,

 

" Diet first, then medication for hypercholesterolemia

(high cholesterol). "

 

In this landmark study, the effects of consuming a

diet high in

vegetables, fruits, organic soy foods and nuts were

compared to either

a

 

control diet that was very low in saturated fat and

based on milled

whole-wheat cereals and low-fat dairy foods or the

same diet plus the

statin drug, lovastatin.

Study participants, a group of 46 adults (25

men and 21 postmenopausal women with high cholesterol

whose average age

was 59) were randomly assigned to follow one of these

three diets for

one month. At the end of the month, all three groups

showed a decrease

in LDL cholesterol and C-reactive protein.

 

In those on the control diet, LDL dropped an average

of 8%, and

C-reactive protein dropped an average of 10%.

In those on the whole foods diet, LDL dropped an

average of 28.6%, and

C-reactive protein dropped an average of 28.2%. In

those on the control

diet plus lovastatin, LDL dropped an average of 30.9%,

and C-reactive

protein dropped an average of 33.3%.

 

Research from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood

Institute published

in

 

the February 2004 issue of the American Journal of

Clinical Nutrition

also suggests that no matter what your age, level of

education, smoking

status or physical activity, the more fruits and

vegetables you eat,

the

 

lower your blood level of LDL (potentially harmful)

cholesterol.

 

Researchers used data from the Family Heart Study to

compare the amount

of fruits and vegetables consumed to LDL levels in

4,466 men and women

ranging in age from 37 to 66.

 

The higher participants’ intake of fruits and

vegetables, the lower

their LDL levels.

 

Participants who ate the most produce (4 or more

servings a day) had

LDL levels about 7% lower than those who ate the least

(0 to 1.9

servings daily).

 

A study published in the November 2003 issue of the

journal Metabolism

also suggests that a diet low in saturated fat but

high in fiber,

almonds, non-gmo soy proteins, and plant sterols

(called a portfolio

diet by the

researchers) can “produce” reductions in cholesterol

equal to those

reported in recent studies using statin drugs.

 

In this study of 25 individuals with high cholesterol,

for 4 weeks, 13

followed a portfolio diet while 12 ate a low-saturated

fat diet based

on

 

whole-wheat cereals and low-fat dairy foods. The

groups then switched

diets for a second 4 week period.

 

The low-fat diet was far less

effective than statins, reducing LDL cholesterol by

12%, but the

portfolio diet, which reduced LDL cholesterol by 35%,

was just as

effective as statin drugs. The portfolio diet also

improved the ratio

of

 

beneficial HDL-cholesterol to LDL cholesterol by 30%.

 

The researchers concluded that combining a number of

foods known to

help

 

reduce levels of LDL cholesterol may be as effective

as taking statin

drugs.

 

Two other epidemiological studies published August

2003 add to the

rapidly growing store of data testifying to the

benefits of eating

whole

 

foods on cardiovascular health. In one of the most

recent

epidemiological studies, the Atherosclerosis Risk in

Communities study,

published in the August 2003 issue of the American

Journal of Clinical

Nutrition, data collected over an 11 year period show

that eating a

diet

 

rich in whole grains, fruits and vegetables lowers a

person’s risk of

death from all causes, and specifically, heart

disease.

 

In this study, subjects with the highest intake of

whole grain foods

had a significantly lower risk of death and of heart

disease compared

to

 

subjects whose intake of whole grains was lowest,

plus, among those

with

 

the highest intake of fruits and vegetables, the risk

of death was 12%

lower than among those consuming the least of these

cardioprotective

foods.

 

The CARDIO2000 study, another epidemiological study

whose results were

presented at the August 2003 meeting of the European

Society of

Cardiology, suggests that while eating 5 or more

servings of fruits and

vegetables a day provides more significant benefit—a

72% reduction in

cardiovascular disease risk—that even moderate

consumption of fruits

and

 

vegetables (2-3 servings per day) is associated with a

much lower risk

of heart attack.

 

Lead researcher, Dr. Demosthenes Panagiotakos from the

University of

Athens, Greece, noted that each serving of fruit, up

to 2.5 servings

each day, conferred a 10% additional reduction in

coronary risk, while

each serving of vegetables, again up to 2.5 servings,

provided an

additional 19% reduction in risk for coronary disease.

 

 

Japanese research published in the October 2003 issue

of Stroke also

underscores the importance of eating a whole foods

diet rich in fruits

and vegetables for cardiovascular health. Japanese

researchers

analyzing

 

data collected over 18 years on nearly 40,000

participants in the

Hiroshima/Nagasaki Life Span Study found that

individuals who consume

fruits and green-yellow vegetables daily were 20-40%

less likely to

suffer a fatal stroke than men and women who ate these

whole foods less

than once per week.

 

The protective effect of daily fruit and green-yellow

vegetable

consumption was seen in both main subtypes of stroke:

ischemic

(cerebral

 

infarction) and hemorrhagic (intracerebral hemorrhage)

stroke, but was

strongest for ischemic stroke with a 32% reduction in

men and a 30%

reduction in women.

Daily fruit intake was associated with a 35%

reduction in risk of total stroke in men and a 25%

risk reduction in

women and was equally strong for both ischemic and

hemorrhagic stroke.

 

Another recent study to officially proclaim that your

overall dietary

pattern affects your risk for cardiovascular disease

was published in

the December 2003 issue of the American Journal of

Clinical Nutrition.

This study, which evaluated data from the third

National Health and

Nutrition Examination Survey on the dietary patterns

of 13,130 American

adults (20 years of age or older), identified six

dietary patterns, but

two patterns were clearly predominant: the Western

pattern and the

American Healthy pattern.

 

The Western pattern, which was characterized by high

intakes of

processed meats, eggs, red meats, and high-fat dairy

products, was

strongly positively associated with the cardiovascular

risk factors

serum C-peptide, serum insulin, and glycated

hemoglobin, and negatively

associated with blood levels of folate, a B vitamin

essential for

keeping blood levels of another cardiovascular risk

factor,

homocysteine, low.

 

The American-healthy pattern, which was characterized

by high intakes

of

 

green, leafy vegetables; organic tomatoes; other

vegetables

(e.g., peppers, green beans, and peas); cruciferous

vegetables;

and tea, had no positive linear association with any

of the

cardiovascular risk factors examined.

 

 

A review of many epidemiological studies published in

the May 2004

issue

 

of the European Journal of Nutrition, confirms that

the “Mediterranean”

diet is associated with very low 25-year mortality

rates for coronary

heart disease, cancer and all-causes of death.

 

Characterized by olive oil as the dominant fat source,

and a high to

moderate consumption of fruit and vegetables, cereal

products, fish,

and

 

legumes in combination with little meat and wine with

meals, the

Mediterranean diet has been repeatedly found to lower

LDL cholesterol

and blood pressure levels.

 

Moreover, the traditional Cretan diet, a Mediterranean

diet, was tested

in cardiac patients and showed a whopping 70% lower

cardiac and

all-causes mortality compared to the control diet!

 

 

 

Additional studies confirming that what you eat can

have a tremendous

impact on your risk for cardiovascular disease were

published in

September 2004.

 

The first, which appeared in the American Journal of

Clinical

Nutrition, evaluated 455 women participating in the

Coronary Risk

Factors for Atherosclerosis in Women (CORA) Study and

found that those

whose dietary pattern was characterized by high

intakes of meat,

margarine, poultry and sauce, and low intakes of

vegetarian dishes,

wine, vegetables and whole-grain cereals had a 1,230%

“higher risk” for

coronary artery disease (CHD) compared to women

following the opposite

dietary

pattern!

 

The second, called the INTERHEART Study, involved 52

countries

representing every inhabited continent and more than

30,000 subjects,

and was published in the Lancet.

 

Its finding was that nine risk factors, all of which

are modifiable

through diet and lifestyle, account for 90% of all

heart disease in men

and 94% in women—regardless of race or the country in

which they live.

 

 

The nine factors affecting risk are:

 

Eating Vegetables and Fruits Daily: Decreases heart

attack risk 30%.

 

 

Regular Physical Activity: Moderate or strenuous

physical exercise

decreases risk by 14%.

 

 

Moderate Alcohol Consumption: Moderate consumption of

alcohol 3 or more

times per week decreases risk by 9%.

 

 

Abnormal Blood Lipids: Having an excessively high

amount of small dense

LDL cholesterol in relation to less potentially

harmful forms of LDL.

 

The most dangerous type of LDL is identified by a test

that measures

the

 

amount of its carrier protein, which is called

apolioprotein B or ApoB,

that is present in the blood and contrasts this with

the amount of the

carrier protein for the larger, less dangerous LDL,

which is called

ApoA1.

 

The resulting ratio of ApoB/ApoA1 is a much better

indicator of risk

than a simple total cholesterol level.

Persons with a high ratio of ApoB/ApoA1 have a 3.25 or

more than 3

times

 

higher risk of heart attack compared to those whose

ratio is low.

 

 

Smoking: Current smokers have almost 3 times the risk

of a heart attack

compared to persons who have never smoked.

 

 

High Blood Pressure: Almost doubles risk of a heart

attack.

 

 

Diabetes: More than doubles heart attack risk.

 

 

Abdominal Obesity: Increases heart attack risk by 37%.

 

 

Psychosocial Factors: Unremitting stress, whether at

work or at home,

adds more than 2.5 times the risk.

 

 

 

 

The latest study to support a link between a diet high

in fruits and

vegetables and a reduced risk of heart attack or

stroke appeared in the

November 2004 issue of the Journal of the National

Cancer Institute.

 

A team of researchers including Dr. Walter Willett,

the highly

respected

 

epidemiologist at the Harvard School of Public Health

in Boston,

investigated the long term protective effects of high

fruit and

vegetable diets by analyzing data on 71,790 women who

participated in

the Nurses' Health Study and 37,725 men in the Health

Professionals'

Follow-up Study.

 

Both studies began in the mid-1980s and ran through

1998.

 

Both men and women who ate five or more servings of

fruits and

vegetables per day reduced their risk of a heart

attack or stroke by

12%

 

compared to individuals who did not eat fruits and

vegetables.

 

Eating leafy green vegetables provided the greatest

reduction in heart

attack and stroke risk. Consuming just one serving of

leafy greens per

day decreased the risk by 11%.

While a modest reduction in the

development of any major “chronic disease” was also

noted, total fruit

and

vegetable intake did not appear to be inversely

associated with cancer

risk.

 

Fruits, Vegetables and Fish Offer Significant

Protection Against Stroke

 

Three studies published July 2004 indicate that diet

greatly affects

your risk for stroke. Two of these studies, one

focused on men, the

other on women, underscore the importance of a diet

rich in fruits and

vegetables in preventing stroke.

 

A third suggests that eating fish as little as 1 to 3

times per month

may protect against ischemic stroke (the type of

stroke caused by an

”interruption” of “blood supply” to part of the

brain).

 

Research data collected on 22,071 men, followed for 13

years in the

Physician's Health Study, indicates that eating

carotenoid-rich fruits

and vegetables significantly reduces a man's risk of

ischemic stroke.

 

The Harvard team analyzed blood samples from stroke

patients and

controls and found that the men whose blood levels of

carotenoids

(alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, lycopene, lutein and

beta-cryptoxanthin), were in the lowest 20% had a much

higher risk of

ischemic stroke.

 

Low blood levels of alpha carotene were associated

with a 41% increased

risk for ischemic stroke, of beta-carotene with a 38%

increased risk,

and of lycopene with a 39% increased risk.

 

No significant association was seen with

beta-cryptoxanthin or lutein.

 

Since higher blood levels of carotenoids is simply a

marker of higher

fruit and vegetable intake, the researchers concluded

that regular

consumption of fruits and vegetables significantly

lowers your risk of

ischemic stroke.

 

Another Harvard research team examined the

relationship between overall

dietary patterns and risk of stroke in a study

population of 71,768

women, followed for 14 years.

 

Two major dietary patterns were identified among the

women:

the " prudent " and the " Western " .

 

The prudent diet included higher intakes of fruits,

vegetables,

legumes,

cold water fish and whole grains,

while the Western diet was high in “red” and

“processed” meats,

“refined” grains, sweets and desserts.

 

When women eating the “prudent” diet were compared,

those with the

highest

scores were 22% less likely to have any kind of stroke

(ischemic or

hemorrhagic—the result of bleeding in the brain)

compared to those with

the lowest prudent scores.

 

Women on the Western diet were also compared and fared

badly regardless

of whether their score was high or low.

Those with the highest Western diet scores had a 58%

“increased risk”

of

 

any type of stroke, but even those with the lowest

Western diet scores

had a 56% greater risk of stroke.

 

The bottom line:

 

in women as well as in men, a diet higher in fruits

and vegetables,

fish, and whole grains is " protective " against stroke.

 

In addition to fruits and vegetables, eating fish may

significantly

lower your risk for stroke.

 

Researchers reviewed data from 8 independent studies

involving more

than 200,000 subjects ranging in age from 34 to 103,

and found that,

eating fish

 

1-3 times per month lowered risk for any type of

stroke by 9%

once a week dropped stroke risk by13%

2-4 times a week lowered stroke risk by 18%

5 or more times a week lowered stroke risk by 31%

 

When types of stroke were compared, risk for ischemic

stroke was most

affected, dropping 31% in those eating fish just 1-3

times a month, and

up to 35% in those consuming fish 5 or more times a

week. Risk for

hemorrhagic stroke was also significantly lessened,

but not until fish

were consumed at least 2-4 times a week.

In this group, risk of hemorrhagic stroke dropped 11%,

and in those

eating fish 5 or more times a week, stroke risk

dropped 20%.

 

Eat more

 

Organically grown fruits and vegetables

Organic soybeans and other whole soyfoods

Garlic and onions

Organic tomatoes

Cold pressed, extra virgin olive oil

Cold water fish including salmon, tuna, herring,

mackerel and halibut

for their beneficial omega 3 fatty acids

 

Oats for their high fiber content and unique

antioxidants

Walnuts

Drink more pure water

Tea

 

Avoid foods high in cholesterol and saturated fats.

 

The type of diet shown to contribute to the greatest

death rate from

heart disease is high in saturated fats, hydrogenated

oils, animal

products, refined foods and “refined” vegetable oils.

 

The diet shown to prevent and even reverse heart

disease is a diet

based

 

on healthy foods--organic whole fruits, vegetables,

legumes, and

grains;

 

cold water fish, and cold-pressed, extra virgin olive

oil.

 

Beneficial Nutrients & Their Best “Food Sources” for

Atherosclerosis

-----------------------

 

”Soluble” Fiber

 

Significantly reduces blood cholesterol levels by

several mechanisms.

 

A study published in the September 8, 2003 edition of

the Archives of

Internal Medicine suggests that eating high fiber

foods, such as dried

beans, apples, bananas, barley, oats, raisins and

prunes, helps prevent

heart disease.

 

Almost 10,000 American adults participated in this

study and were

followed for 19 years, during which time 1,843 cases

of coronary heart

disease (CHD) and 3,762 cases of cardiovascular

disease (CVD) were

diagnosed.

 

People eating the most fiber, 21 grams per day, had

12% less CHD and

11% less CVD compared to those eating the least, 5

grams daily.

 

Those eating the most " water-soluble " dietary fiber

fared even better

with a 15% reduction in risk of CHD and a 10% risk

reduction in CVD.

 

 

Results published in the February 2004 issue of the

Archives of

Internal

 

Medicine of an analysis of 10 prospective studies from

the U.S. and

Europe show that dietary fiber from whole grains and

fruits is

associated

with reduced risk of heart disease.

 

Combining the studies gives extra credence to this

conclusion since it

pools very large numbers of participants and cases of

heart disease.

Among almost 100,000 men and the more than 245,000

women who

participated in these 10 studies, for every ten grams

of daily fiber

consumed from cereals and fruits, their risk of all

coronary disease

dropped 14%, and their risk of death from heart attack

dropped 27%.

 

Best Food Sources: fruits, dried beans, non-gmo

soybeans, legumes,

oats,

and organic

vegetables.

------------------------

Niacin

A B vitamin, niacin can reduce “cholesterol” and

“lipoprotein a”

levels,

and

has been shown to “reduce incidence” of heart attack.

 

Best Food Sources of Niacin:

 

Brewer's yeast, rice bran, wheat bran, organic peanuts

with skin,

liver,

 

trout, mackerel, swordfish, turkey, alaskan salmon.

 

Vitamin E

 

A fat-soluble antioxidant, Vitamin E prevents

oxidation of LDL

cholesterol, prevents the growth of blood vessel

plaques, and has been

shown to reduce the risk of heart attack and deaths

related to heart

disease.

 

Best Food Sources of Vitamin E:

 

wheat germ oil, sunflower seeds, almonds, sesame oil,

wheat germ, olive

oil.

 

Vitamin C

The body's primary water-soluble antioxidant, vitamin

C is needed for

the proper function of blood vessels, regenerates

vitamin E, and can

help decrease cholesterol levels.

 

High dietary intake of vitamin C is associated with a

decreased risk of

death due to coronary artery disease.

 

Best Food Sources of Vitamin C:

 

sweet peppers, kale, parsley, broccoli, Brussels

sprouts, cabbage,

strawberries, kiwi fruit, papayas, spinach, oranges,

grapefruit.

 

Beta-carotene

 

A powerful antioxidant in its own right, beta-carotene

is also used by

the body to produce vitamin A, which is often

described as the

anti-infective vitamin. A theory currently gaining

acceptance in the

scientific community is that viral infection may be a

significant

contributing factor in heart disease.

 

Protection against infection and free radicals may

explain why a high

dietary intake of beta-carotene is associated with a

reduced risk of

fatal heart attack.

 

Best Food Sources of Beta-Carotene:

 

carrots, butternut squash, mangoes, hubbard squash,

cantaloupe, apricots, broccoli.

 

Lycopene

A Harvard study following close to 40,000 middle-aged

men and women for

7 years found that those who ate the most

lycopene-rich foods (7-10

servings per week of organic tomato-based products

such as tomato juice

and tomato sauce) had a 29% lower risk of

cardiovascular disease. Two

servings per week of oil-based organic tomato products

such as tomato

sauce provided an even better 34% reduction in

cardiovascular disease

risk.

 

 

Tomato Juice, an Effective Blood Thinner

 

Whether it is tomatoes' lycopene or some other

compound(s) found in

tomatoes is not yet known, but Australian research

published in the

August 2004 issue of the prestigious Journal of the

American Medical

Association suggests that tomato juice is an effective

blood thinner.

 

In this study, 20 people with type 2 diabetes were

given 250 ml (about

8

 

ounces) of tomato juice or a tomato-flavored placebo

daily. Subjects

had

 

no history of clotting problems and were taking no

medications that

would affect blood clotting ability. After just 3

weeks, platelet

aggregation (the clumping together of blood cells) was

significantly

reduced among those drinking real organic tomato

juice, while no such

effect was

noted in those receiving placebo.

 

In an interview, lead researcher Sherri Lazarus

explains, " Diabetes is

a multi-faceted disease with problems such as glucose

intolerance, high

blood pressure, high cholesterol and high

triglycerides, and the less

talked about “hyperactive platelets”.

 

Platelets are the parts of blood responsible for the

“preservation” of

healthy blood vessels.

 

When the health of blood vessels is impaired, as in

the case of

diabetes, platelets stick to the lining of the vessel

wall, which, over

time, can lead to the development of cardiovascular

disease.

 

Aggregation is the clumping together and clotting of

platelets. We

looked at how susceptible the platelets were to

clotting before and

after the people with type 2 diabetes had taken tomato

juice. "

 

Although dietary strategies have been developed to

address other known

cardiovascular risk factors, currently there is no

dietary strategy

aimed at reducing high platelet activity. Tomato juice

may be just what

the doctor should order. While of special benefit for

those with type 2

diabetes who are at increased risk of cardiovascular

disease, the blood

thinning effects of tomato juice are noteworthy for

anyone at higher

risk of blood clot formation.

 

Persons with atherosclerosis or high cholesterol,

those whose work

involves traveling long distances, who have recently

undergone a

surgical procedure or who smoke would benefit. But be

sure to choose a

low-sodium organic tomato juice; many " regular " tomato

juice products

are loaded with artery-unfriendly sodium.

 

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Frequent consumption of fish, especially cold water

fish, which are

rich

 

in omega-3s, is associated with a decreased risk of

heart attack. When

part of a diet low in saturated fat, a high intake of

omega-3 fats have

also been found to help decrease cholesterol.

 

Foods rich in omega-3s should be used to replace foods

high in

saturated

 

fats such as meat and dairy products.

 

 

Feeling really grumpy?

 

Eating more omega-3 rich cold water fish (alaskan

salmon,

or water-packed

sardines) may help. A study published in the January

2004 issue of the

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition found a

statistically

significant

 

relationship between consuming fish rich in omega-3

fats and a lower

”hostility score” in 3581 young urban white and black

adults.

 

Those with the highest intake of omega 3 fats had only

a 10% likelihood

of being among those with the highest hostility

scores. Eating any fish

rich in omega 3 fats compared to eating no

omega-3-rich fish was also

found to drop subjects’ chances of being hostile by

12%.

 

Cardiovascular protection is one reason this finding

is important:

 

hostility has been shown to “predict” the development

of heart disease,

and the young adults

in this study were already also enrolled in the CARDIA

(Coronary Artery

Risk Development in Young Adults) study—a study that

is examining how

heart disease develops in adults.

 

Best Food Sources of Omega-3 Fats:

 

cold-water fish such as alaskan salmon and cod and

their oils,

flaxseed,

 

walnuts, purslane.

 

Monounsaturated Fats

These stable fats, which are found in highest

concentrations in olive

oil, decrease the oxidation of LDL cholesterol, help

reduce cholesterol

levels, and may partly explain why the “Mediterranean

Diet,”

which is high in monounsaturated fats as well as whole

foods, is

protective against heart disease.

 

Use olive oil to replace saturated fats (butter),

trans-fats

(margarine), and refined vegetable oils in cooking and

salad dressing.

-----------------------

Best Food Sources of Monounsaturated Fats:

 

extra virgin olive oil, high oleic sunflower oil,

avocado.

 

Non-gmo Soy

Non-gmo soybeans and foods made from them have been

found to

significantly decrease the risk of heart disease and

heart attack, can

help prevent the oxidation of LDL cholesterol, and

lower LDL and total

cholesterol, triglyceride levels, and risk of blood

clots.

Organic soy may also increase HDL (beneficial)

cholesterol levels.

 

 

A study published in the July 2003 issue of the

British Journal of

Nutrition suggests that diets high in soy protein also

protect against

atherosclerosis by increasing blood levels of “nitric

oxide”, a small

molecule known to improve blood vessel “dilation” and

to inhibit

“oxidative”

(free radical) “damage” of cholesterol and the

“adhesion” of white

cells

to

the vascular wall (two important steps in the

“development” of

atherosclerotic plaques).

 

In this study, when researchers gave mice bred to be

apoliprotein-E

deficient a purified diet containing casein found in

dairy products,

soy

 

protein or rice protein, the mice given " casein "

" developed " the

" largest "

 

*atherosclerotic lesions*.

 

(In humans as well as animals, apolipoprotein E plays

an important role

in cholesterol transport, so a deficiency of this

protein increases

risk

 

for the development of atherosclerosis.) Mice given

soy or rice protein

fared much better.

In trying to understand why, the researchers evaluated

blood levels of

nitric oxide. Mice fed either soy or rice protein

diets were found to

have increased blood levels of L-arginine (the amino

acid that the body

uses to produce nitric oxide) and nitric oxide

metabolites when

compared

 

to those given casein-based feed.

However, the L-arginine content of the soy and rice

diets was not high

enough to explain the amount of protective benefit

they conferred, so

the researchers concluded that these foods must also

" contain " other

" protective” compounds.

 

 

 

Soy Offers Special Benefits for Premenopausal Women

 

Soy foods may offer special benefits for the hearts

and bones of

premenopausal women, suggest two studies conducted at

Wake Forest

University Baptist Medical Center and presented at the

annual meeting

of

 

the North American Menopause Society, Washington,

D.C., October 6-9,

2004.

 

The results of these studies indicate a beneficial

synergy between

isoflavones, the weakly estrogenic compounds in soy,

and the body's own

estrogen in " decreasing " cholesterol and " increasing "

bone mass.

 

In the first study, cholesterol levels in monkeys fed

a soy-based diet

were improved compared to those of monkeys given a

diet of milk and

animal protein—and the most improvement occurred in

those monkeys at

highest risk for heart vessel disease.

 

A low ratio of total cholesterol to HDL (good)

cholesterol is

considered healthier.

 

In monkeys at highest risk for heart disease, the

cholesterol ratio

decreased by 48% in those given soy compared to those

receiving milk

and

 

animal protein.

Even in the monkeys at low risk for atherosclerosis

that ate soy, the

cholesterol ratio dropped 33%.

 

Lead researcher in this study, Jay Kaplan, PhD, noted

that a 48% drop

in

 

the cholesterol ratio would likely equate to a 50%

reduction in the

size

 

of plaques in the arteries, which can rupture causing

heart attacks and

strokes.

 

He also added, " Studies have shown that heart vessel

disease, or

atherosclerosis, begins in the 30s and 40s in women.

From our work in monkeys, we believe the time to

prevent cardiovascular

disease in women is before menopause, not after.

 

Organic soy seems to provide a potent protection in

monkeys, in terms

of

 

cholesterol levels, which is a good marker for general

cardiovascular

risk. We presume the benefit would apply to

premenopausal women as

well. "

 

In the second study, monkeys eating soy were found to

have an increase

in bone mass compared to those not given soy.

According to lead

researcher in this study, Cynthia Lees, D.V.M., Ph.D.,

 

" The increase was small, but this suggests the

possibility that if

women

 

consumed soy on a regular basis before menopause, it

could benefit

their

 

health after menopause. "

 

Kaplan also noted that because the soy-estrogen

combination caused

improvements in both cholesterol and bone, it might

also positively

impact other areas of the body " affected " by estrogen,

including the

brain.

 

In both 12 month long studies, the monkeys were

selected to represent

women in their 30s and 40s. Half consumed soy with

isoflavone levels

equal to a human intake of approximately 129

milligrams a day—about

twice the amount typically consumed by women in Asia.

 

Next on the researchers' agenda will be a study using

lower levels of

isoflavones over a longer period of time to see if

this will be as

effective—an outcome that appears to already be

supported in a human

trial published in the November 2004 issue of the

American Journal of

Clinical Nutrition.

 

In this study, which included 1033 pre- and

postmenopausal women (361

meat-eaters, 570 vegetarians, and 102 vegans), eating

moderate amounts

of soy foods as part of a regular diet was associated

with a lower

ratio

 

of total to LDL cholesterol, but not with a lowering

in the level of

”beneficial” HDL cholesterol.

 

In those women eating 6 or more grams of soy protein

daily, blood

levels of LDL cholesterol were 12.4% lower than those

in women who ate

less than .5 grams of soy protein daily.

 

Best Organic Soy Foods: edamame (organic soybeans),

miso, tofu, tempeh,

non-gmo soy

milk.

 

Zinc

Needed for the proper function of blood vessels, zinc

may also slow the

”growth” of plaques.

 

Best Food Sources of Zinc:

fresh oysters, ginger root, lamb chops, pecans, split

peas, Brazil

nuts,

 

organic egg yolk.

 

Magnesium

Needed for normal blood vessel tone and function,

magnesium may help

lower high blood pressure, and may decrease risk of

heart attack.

 

Best Food Sources of Magnesium:

kelp, wheat bran, wheat germ, almonds, cashews,

organic blackstrap

molasses, Brewer's yeast, kiwi fruit.

 

Vitamin B12, Vitamin B6, and Folic Acid

 

These three B vitamins work together to prevent the

“accumulation” of

homocysteine, an intermediate compound produced during

the

“methylation”

 

cycle that can damage the arterial wall.

Elevated levels of homocysteine are found in

approximately 20-40% of

patients with heart disease.

 

Best Food Sources of Folic Acid and B6:

Brewer's yeast, organic soy flour, wheat germ.

 

Best Food Sources of B12: free range chicken livers,

clams, oysters,

sardines, organic egg yolk.

 

Potassium

This mineral may decrease the growth and development

of vessel plaques,

and also good for lowering high blood pressure.

 

To obtain the maximum benefits from an increased

potassium intake, it

is

 

important to reduce the amount of sodium in the diet.

 

Most “sodium” in the American diet comes from

“processed”,

“convenience”

and

”snack” foods.

 

Best Food Sources of Potassium:

 

dulse, kelp, sunflower seeds, wheat germ, almonds,

organic raisins,

parsley, Brazil nuts, dates, figs, kiwi fruit,

avocado, pecans, yams,

Swiss chard, non-gmo soybeans, garlic, spinach,

English walnuts,

millet,

 

cooked dried beans, mushrooms, organic potato with

skin, broccoli.

 

Taurine

An amino acid found mainly in fish, taurine may

decrease cholesterol

levels and lower high blood pressure.

 

Best Food Sources of Taurine: fish - especially cold

water fish like

alaskan salmon and Norwegian cod.

 

Bioflavonoids

Powerful antioxidant compounds found in many fruits

and vegetables,

bioflavonoids are associated with decreased risk of

death from

cardiovascular disease.

 

Best Food Sources: red grapes, onions, apples, and

citrus fruits.

 

---------------------------

 

Allium Family Vegetables

 

Allium family vegetables contain compounds that have

been shown to

lower

 

cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure in cases of

hypertension, and

slow the “rate” of plaque “growth”.

 

Best Sources of Allium Vegetable Compounds: Fresh, raw

garlic and

onions

 

contain the highest amounts of these beneficial

compounds.

=====================================================

 

Substances Whose Intake Should Be Minimized in

Atherosclerosis

 

Saturated Fat and Cholesterol

 

Excessive dietary intake of foods rich in saturated

fat and

cholesterol,

 

which are found primarily in animal products, is

associated with

increased risk of atherosclerosis and heart disease.

 

For maximum health benefit, limit intake of saturated

fat while

increasing intake of heart-protective whole foods -

vegetables, fruits,

nuts, seeds, legumes, cold-water fish, organic whole

grains.

 

Iron

High levels of stored iron are associated with

increased free radical

production and therefore increased risk of heart

attack, especially in

those with high cholesterol levels.

 

Hemochromatosis, a condition of iron overload, is

common in Caucasian

males. Supplements containing iron should not be taken

by men or

post-menopausal women who are at risk for

atherosclerosis, unless they

have been diagnosed with anemia by a physician.

Since blood loss results in iron loss, menstruating

women may safely

consume a multiple mineral and vitamin supplement

which contains 15-30

mg of iron.

 

 

Trans-Fatty Acids

 

Vegetable oils that have been chemically transformed

into solid fats,

trans-fatty acids (also called hydrogenated fats)

increase LDL

cholesterol and lipoprotein a levels, may be more

damaging to the heart

and blood vessels than saturated fat, and should be

" eliminated " from

the diet.

 

These unnatural fats are not found in whole foods, but

are the

" predominant " component in margarine and are

frequently added to

”processed” foods, baked goods, coffee creamers, and

snack foods.

 

 

Vitamin D

Although necessary for bone strength, excessive

amounts of vitamin D

are

 

associated with plaque build-up, especially in those

with low magnesium

intake. Increase magnesium intake rather than avoid

vitamin D-rich

foods

 

such as alaskan salmon and organic eggs; these foods

provide numerous

important

health benefits.

=================================================================

 

Summary Disease Description

Heart disease, the leading cause of death in adults in

the United

States

 

today, affects 60 million Americans. An estimated

1,100,000 new or

recurrent heart attacks occur annually, which

translates into the grim

statistic that every 20 seconds a person in the U.S.

has a heart

attack,

 

and one-third of these attacks lead to death.

The main underlying cause of heart disease,

atherosclerosis, begins

early (in some cases, as early as childhood), and

slowly progresses

into

 

full-blown heart disease.

 

Atherosclerosis is the “build-up” of fatty deposits in

the walls of the

arteries.

When these deposits, or plaques, build up in the blood

vessels of the

heart, they cause coronary artery disease, which can

lead to a heart

attack.

When they build up in the blood vessels of the brain,

they cause

cerebral artery disease, which can lead to a stroke.

 

Physiological indicators of increased risk for

atherosclerosis include:

high blood pressure, high cholesterol (especially

oxidized LDL

cholesterol, the form that causes the most harm), high

blood levels of

Lp(a) (lipoprotein a), obesity, high levels of

homocysteine, and

insulin

 

resistance, especially when advanced to the level of

Non-Insulin

Dependent Diabetes Mellitus (NIDDM)--also called Type

II Diabetes.

 

Through genetic inheritance, family history plays a

role in the

development of atherosclerosis, but a number of other

risk factors

related to diet and lifestyle are of “equal” or

“greater” importance.

 

 

In-Depth Discussion

What Is Atherosclerosis?

 

Introduction

 

Heart disease accounts for approximately 30-40% of all

deaths in

industrial nations every year and is the leading cause

of death of

adults in these areas. Vascular disease alone

accounted for close to 1

million deaths in 1994. Ischemic heart disease is

currently very common

in the U.S., and occurs in approximately 80% of all

people over the age

of 70 years.

 

Treatment of coronary artery disease and its risk

factors, including

hypertension and high cholesterol, accounts for a

large portion of

health care spending and medication use.

 

Although the deaths and symptoms caused by

atherosclerosis tend to

occur

 

later in life, the condition itself typically develops

fairly slowly

and

 

may begin as early as childhood.

 

The good news is that early prevention of this disease

and reduction of

the associated risk factors has been shown to

significantly decrease

risk of both fatal and non-fatal heart attack.

 

Atherosclerosis is generally considered a

multi-factorial disease,

meaning that many possible causes contribute to its

development and

advancement.

 

Genetics plays a role in the development of heart

disease, as evidenced

by its tendency to run in families, but research has

clearly shown that

the way one lives and eats plays a large or even more

important role.

 

No family history of heart disease is not a guarantee

of safety for an

individual with an unhealthy diet and lifestyle. On

the positive side,

a

 

strong family history of heart disease does not doom

one to develop it.

 

Genetics is, at worst, an indicator of increased risk,

which can be

significantly lowered by health-promoting dietary and

lifestyle

choices.

 

============================================================

 

The Process of Atherosclerosis

 

Atherosclerosis is a disease that involves the

development of

cholesterol-filled plaques, called “atheromas”, in the

walls of the

blood

vessels, causing the vessels to lose their

“elasticity” and become

”sclerotic”, or hardened.

 

These atheromas are especially problematic when they

develop in the

blood vessels of the heart, also known as the coronary

arteries, where

they may “decrease” the amount of blood that is

“available” to “feed”

the

heart muscle, or where they may eventually lead to

heart attack, also

called myocardial infarction (MI), heart damage, and

possibly even

death.

 

Atheromas are believed to develop slowly over a

prolonged period of

time.

 

Although the exact mechanism of how they start and

develop is not

completely understood, research in humans and animals

has lead to the

creation of a model for how the condition progresses.

 

The first step in the process appears to be some type

of “injury” to

the

 

wall of the vessel.

 

The cause of this initial injury is currently unknown,

though it may be

due to certain “infections”, high levels of oxidized

cholesterol, high

levels of homocysteine, or a number of other factors.

 

Once the initial injury occurs, cholesterol

circulating in the

bloodstream starts to be deposited at the site of

injury in the blood

vessel wall, where inflammatory chemicals oxidize it.

 

The oxidized cholesterol particles and the injury

itself attract

certain

 

”immune cells”, called monocytes and macrophages,

which “take in” large

quantities of the oxidized cholesterol, becoming quite

large.

 

They also become activated and begin releasing

“inflammation-related”

chemicals called cytokines.

The cytokines cause the cells of the vessel wall, also

called

endothelial cells, to produce “adhesion molecules” on

the surfaces of

their cell membranes.

 

Adhesion molecules are “sites” where more immune cells

can “bind”.

 

The cytokines also attract other immune cells, which

then “bind” to the

adhesion molecules and are taken into the blood vessel

wall, where they

”trigger” an increase in “inflammatory response”.

 

As the build-up of immune cells and oxidized

cholesterol continues in

the arterial wall, the cytokines and inflammatory

chemicals attract

another type of cell, called smooth muscle cells,

which travel to the

site of the “developing plaque”, enter the blood

vessel wall, take in

”oxidized cholesterol”, and begin to “divide”.

 

In addition, the cells start to “produce” “collagen”,

the main protein

in

”connective tissue”, which “adds” to the plaque.

 

As the process continues, the atheroma, which grows

larger and larger,

is now comprised of “enlarged” macrophages and

monocytes “filled” with

”oxidized cholesterol”,

dividing smooth muscle cells, and collagen, as well as

the initial

”endothelial” cells.

Calcium now begins to be “deposited”, making the

atheroma “sclerotic”

or

 

hardened, and inflexible.

 

Because blood vessels contain no “nerves” to signal

their “distress”,

the

atheroma may grow very large for a long period of time

before its

”presence” is known.

 

A large atheroma in the coronary vessels may start to

“block” blood

flow

 

to the heart, leading to symptoms like shortness of

breath or angina.

Atheromas in the blood vessels leading to the brain

may cause dizziness

or lightheadedness.

 

Generally, though, because they grow slowly enough for

the body to

”compensate” for the “decreased” blood flow, most

atheromas don’t cause

any

warning symptoms but make their debut into the

individual's conscious

awareness by causing a heart attack.

 

In this stage, the blood vessel

wall where the atheroma is attached “breaks” slightly,

causing a

release

 

of blood into the surrounding tissue.

 

In order to stop this blood “loss”, platelets “clump

together” forming

a

 

”blood clot”, called a thrombus.

 

A thrombus may also be caused by platelets that simply

start to stick

to the atheroma and then build up.

 

If the thrombus stays where it is, it

may grow large enough to cause a sudden “blockage” of

blood flow in the

artery. If it “breaks loose” from the atheroma,

it is called an “embolism”, and it may travel down the

blood vessel to

a

 

point where it is too big to pass and rapidly “cut

off” blood supply at

that spot.

 

Typically, the blockage of a vessel by a thrombus also

involves “spasm”

of

the artery, further “decreasing” the blood flow. When

this occurs in

the

 

blood vessels in the head, it is called a stroke and

damage occurs due

to “lack of oxygen” to the brain tissue that is

normally supplied by

the

 

blocked vessel.

This damage may be slight and produce little lasting

effects or may be

great enough to cause severe permanent disability or

even death.

 

When the “sudden blockage” occurs in the coronary

vessels, it causes

damage to the cells of the heart muscle due to “lack

of oxygen”.

 

Components in the bloodstream then rapidly break down

the clot so that

blood may return to the area.

Unfortunately, the damaged cells have

”released” chemicals that “attract” and “activate”

immune cells, which

then

quickly “travel” to the area and “release” more

“inflammatory

chemicals”,

causing damage to more cells.

 

Because of cascade of inflammation triggered by the

immune cells, more

damage occurs to the heart muscle after the blood flow

returns than

when

 

the blood flow was blocked.

 

Many myocardial infarctions are mild and may even go

unnoticed. In

others, however, the damage to the heart muscle

interferes with the

normal beating of the heart,

leading to “ventricular fibrillation”, a rapid and

chaotic “fluttering”

action of the heart muscle.

 

This condition is called a cardiac arrest, and it is

fatal if not

immediately treated by emergency measures. Cardiac

arrest is the main

cause of death in patients with coronary artery

disease.

===========================================================

 

Risk Factors For Atherosclerosis

 

”Elevated” Cholesterol

High levels of cholesterol have been repeatedly

associated with

atherosclerosis and heart disease. Cholesterol is also

found in high

quantities in the “atheromas” seen in vascular

disease.

 

Cholesterol is a necessary substance that is even

produced by the body

from fatty acids, especially saturated fats, in the

diet. Ready-made

cholesterol is also “absorbed” from foods derived from

animals.

 

From the bloodstream, cholesterol is taken up by cells

and used to make

”cell membranes”, certain “hormones” and vitamin D.

 

Cholesterol is produced by a number of steps involving

several

different

 

enzymes.

 

One of the main enzymes involved is called HMG Co-A

reductase.

This enzyme has the single most say-so over how much

cholesterol is

produced.

HMG Co-A reductase usually works to “produce” just

enough

cholesterol for “normal function”, but sometimes,

especially when the

diet

is “high” in saturated fats, it becomes a “workaholic”

and contributes

to

elevated cholesterol levels. If the diet is also high

in

cholesterol-containing animal foods, then

cholesterol levels can be raised even more.

 

Cholesterol is packaged into”particles” called

low-density

lipoproteins,

 

or LDL cholesterol, and distributed throughout the

body to where it is

needed.

High-density lipoprotein particles, or HDL

cholesterol, then travels

throughout the body “collecting” the “extra”

cholesterol “not used” up

by cells.

 

For this reason, HDL is often referred to as the

“good” cholesterol.

 

Cholesterol in the body that is not used to produce

hormones, vitamin

D,

 

or cell membranes is also “eliminated” by the liver.

 

The liver “converts” the cholesterol to bile, which is

stored in the

gall bladder until it is

needed in the intestines.

 

When bile is released into the intestines, it aids

digestion by making

”dietary fats” easier to “absorb”.

Much of the bile that passes into the intestines is

reabsorbed and

recycled for future use.

If it “binds” to certain food substances, like

“fiber”, however, it can

pass out of the body and new bile must be produced

from cholesterol to

replace the bile that is lost.

 

Normally, cholesterol is “not toxic” to the body. It

“flows through”

the

 

blood vessels without causing any damage or atheroma

build-up.

 

However, when cholesterol becomes “oxidized”, either

by “heat” or “free

radicals” before it is absorbed in the intestines, or

by free radicals

found in the body, it can “become” dangerous.

 

Oxidized LDL cholesterol is “directly toxic” to

endothelial cells.

 

It “increases” the adhesion of monocytes and

macrophages to vascular

lesions, increases the proliferation of smooth muscle

cells, increases

”platelet clumping” and “thrombus formation”, and

inhibits the

production of

nitric oxide, a “messenger chemical” needed for

“vasodilation”.

 

Macrophages and monocytes normally only “take in”

“small amounts” of

unoxidized cholesterol, but when they are “exposed” to

“oxidized

cholesterol”, they take in large amounts, causing them

to greatly

increase in size.

A high blood level of oxidized LDL cholesterol,

therefore, is a strong

contributing factor for the production and growth of

atheromas and the

”progression” of heart disease.

==============================================================

 

Lipoprotein a

Lp(a) is a mix of protein molecules and lipid

molecules found in the

body. High levels have been shown to be a separate

risk factor for

cardiovascular disease and are associated with an

increased risk of

coronary thrombosis, a blood clot in the arteries of

the heart.

 

One way in which Lp(a) may cause problems is in the

inhibition of a

process called fibrinolysis.

Fibrinolysis involves the “break-down” of excess

collagen, connective

tissue, and blood clots.

 

By inhibiting fibrinolysis, Lp(a) contributes to the

build up of

collagen and therefore the growth of atheromas, as

well as increasing

the risk of thrombus formation and heart attack or

stroke.

 

Elevated Homocysteine

 

Elevated blood levels of homocysteine are seen in

patients with

vascular

 

disease and are associated with an increased risk of

stroke, coronary

artery disease, and peripheral vascular disease.

 

Homocysteine is a substance formed during a normal

metabolic process in

the body called the methylation cycle. Almost

immediately after its

production, a large percentage of homocysteine is

usually transformed

into the amino acid methionine.

 

This conversion process, however, requires certain

vitamins, including

vitamin B12, vitamin B6, and folic acid. Deficiency of

these vitamins

results in increased homocysteine levels by decreasing

homocysteine's

conversion to methionine.

 

Homocysteine levels can also be elevated for other

reasons. Mutations

in

 

the genes that regulate the process of converting

homocysteine back to

methionine account for a number of cases of elevated

homocysteine. As

many as 35-40% of Caucasians carry a mutated copy of

one of these

genes,

 

which may then cause elevations in homocysteine

levels.

 

In many of these patients, simply getting extra

amounts of vitamin B6,

B12 and folic acid will keep homocysteine levels low.

Even in persons

without genetically caused difficulties, inadequate

intake of any or

all

 

of these required vitamins can result in elevated

homocysteine levels.

Some studies have shown that this may account for as

many as 66% of

cases.

 

Another cause of elevated homocyteine levels is

chronic kidney failure,

since the kidneys are a major site of homocysteine

metabolism.

 

Levels may also be raised by “certain medications”

including

methotrexate,

phenytoin, carbamazepine, nitrous oxide, theophylline,

and 6-azauridine

triacetate, or by other medical conditions including

acute

lymphoblastic

 

leukemia and psoriasis.

 

Smoking, coffee, and chronic high alcohol intake can

raise levels as

well.

 

Homocysteine has been shown to cause “damage” to the

endothelium,

increased division and proliferation of smooth muscle

cells, and

increased oxidation of LDL cholesterol and other

lipids.

 

By increasing “levels” of free radicals, which

“damage” endothelial

cells,

homocysteine can lead to reduced production by these

endothelial cells

of nitric oxide (NO), a chemical messenger necessary

for the normal

dilation of blood vessels.

 

NO also helps to decrease the proliferation of the

smooth muscle cells,

reduce the binding of immune cells to atheroma sites,

and decrease

platelet clumping.

 

Homocysteine has been shown to make the endothelium

more “prone” to the development of blood clots.

------------------------

 

Hypertension

Hypertension, or high blood pressure, affects as much

as 1/3 of the

population of industrialized nations and has been

shown to greatly

contribute to the formation and progression of heart

disease. Patients

with hypertension are much more likely to have a fatal

coronary than

those without.

It is currently unknown why or how high blood pressure

 

contributes so much to the development and fatality of

heart disease,

but patients who are able to decrease their blood

pressure to normal

levels, especially “without” the “use” of medications,

are at much

“lower

risk” of a fatal event than those who are either

unable to lower their

blood pressure or require certain medications to do

so.

 

In addition, some “blood pressure medications” have

actually been

”associated” with an “increased risk” of fatal heart

attack, though it

is

unknown why.

--------------------------

 

Insulin resistance

Insulin resistance is one of the main problems

associated with Type II

diabetes, typically referred to as Non-Insulin

Dependent Diabetes, or

NIDDM. It is also seen in a condition called Syndrome

X, which mainly

occurs in post-menopausal women and primarily affects

individuals in

their 40s and 50s. Insulin resistance means that cells

don’t respond

normally to insulin.

 

Normally, insulin produced by the body binds to

special insulin

receptors on cell membranes, triggering the cells to

absorb sugar, or

glucose, from the blood stream. In some people,

however, a couple of

things can go wrong.

 

The pancreas, which produces insulin, may start to

produce insulin that

is defective and does not bind to the repectors

properly. Or, the cells

of the body may produce defective receptors that do

not allow the

insulin to bind properly.

 

Although genetics seems to play a role in both these

causes of insulin

resistance, evidence strongly suggests that certain

dietary and

lifestyle habits are more important in the development

of this

condition.

 

When the insulin-resistant cells fail to respond to

insulin, blood

sugar

 

levels build up. To try to compensate for the cells'

resistance, the

body produces even more insulin, leading to elevated

insulin levels as

well.

 

Both elevated blood sugar and elevated insulin can be

damaging to the

linings of blood vessels, so people with insulin

resistance are at much

higher risk of developing atherosclerosis.

 

They also progress to heart disease and heart attack

much more rapidly.

One reason for this is that insulin-resistant patients

are much more

susceptible to damage caused by free radicals.

 

Studies have shown that NIDDM patients have much

higher levels of free

radicals than normal controls.

High levels of free radicals cause an increase in the

oxidation of LDL

cholesterol, initiating the formation and development

of atheromas. For

more information on insulin resistance, just click on

the following

link: Non-Insulin Resistant Diabetes Mellitus (NIDDM).

 

 

Obesity

Obesity is also a risk factor for high blood pressure

and insulin

resistance and may contribute to atherosclerosis

through those risk

factors. People who are obese also generally have

diets that are high

in

 

saturated fats and cholesterol, which contribute to

atherosclerosis,

and

 

low in nutrients such as B vitamins, fiber, and

antioxidants, which are

protective. They also tend to not get adequate

exercise, which has been

shown to be helpful in the prevention of heart

disease.

 

The Synergistic Effect of Risk Factors

Typically, the effects of different risk factors are

more than

additive,

 

meaning that a person who has two risk factors usually

has more than

twice the risk than someone with just one risk factor.

Eliminating as

many of these factors as possible will greatly

decrease an individual's

risk of heart disease and cardiovascular death.

==========================================================

 

Dietary Causes

A diet high in cholesterol and saturated fats, and low

in fruits,

vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and fiber is

“associated” with heart

disease. Populations that eat traditional diets high

in vegetables,

fiber, and whole grains tend to have much lower rates

of heart disease

and vascular disease than populations that eat high

amounts of

cholesterol and saturated fats from animal products.

 

Populations that consume large amounts of fish and

fish oils in place

of

 

other animal meats and fats tend to have lower rates

of cardiovascular

disease and the associated mortality.

 

The Mediterranean diet, which is high in whole grains

and vegetables,

relatively high in monounsaturated fats

(which are contained within extra virgin olive oil ),

and relatively low in animal products has been shown

to be

”protective” against heart disease despite its fairly

high levels of

fat.

This suggests that the “type” of fat in the diet may

be more important

than the actual amount.

 

While high levels of saturated fats from meat and

dairy products and

polyunsaturated fats from vegetable oils have been

strongly associated

with an increased risk of atherosclerosis and heart

disease, high

levels

 

of monounsaturated fats, found abundantly in olive

oil, and omega-3

fats, found abundantly in fish, have been associated

with “lower rates”

of

atherosclerosis, suggesting that these fats may even

be “protective”.

============================================================

 

Nutrient Needs

Nutrients that “decrease” the formation and

progression of atheromas

include:

 

Nutrients that help decrease elevated blood

cholesterol levels,

especially LDL levels.

 

Nutrients that decrease the oxidation of existing LDL

cholesterol, thus

reducing the amount of LDL taken up by macrophages and

monocytes, and

therefore slowing the growth of atheromas.

 

Nutrients that decrease the risk of damage to the

blood vessel wall,

both before atheromas begin and after they appear to

“prevent” rupture,

thrombus (blood clot) formation, and the resulting

damage to the heart.

--------------------------

 

Those nutrients, which recent scientific studies have

shown to possess

these benefical effects, are profiled below.

 

Nutrients That Help Lower Cholesterol Levels

 

Soluble Fiber

 

While diets low in fat and cholesterol may be able to

lower total and

LDL cholesterol levels about 5-10%, diets high in

“soluble fiber” have

been shown in some studies to “lower” total

cholesterol and LDL

cholesterol as much as 20-30%.

 

The soluble fiber used in these studies was the

naturally-occurring

fiber found in oat bran, cooked dried beans, and other

food sources.

 

In these same studies, the use of organic cooked soy

beans, a rich

source of both soy protein and naturally occurring

soluble fiber, led

to

 

a decrease in total cholesterol of 30% and a decrease

in LDL

cholesterol

 

of 35-40%.

---------------------------

 

Soluble fiber acts to reduce cholesterol levels in

several ways:

---------------------------

 

First, soluble fiber in the intestines “binds” to bile

from the liver,

so

it is carried out of the body as “waste” instead of

being “reabsorbed”.

In

order for the body to make more bile, which is

necessary for digestion,

it must “break down” more cholesterol, “removing” it

from the

bloodstream.

 

In addition, because bile is needed for the

“absorption” of cholesterol

from food, “binding” the bile makes it less able to

assist in

cholesterol

absorption, so “less” dietary cholesterol is

“absorbed” from the food.

 

Secondly, when “normal levels” of bacteria are present

in the colon,

they

are able to “break down” some of the “soluble fiber”

into what are

called

”short-chain” fatty acids. In addition to being very

good for the

health

 

of the colon cells, some short-chain fatty acids are

absorbed into the

bloodstream, where they travel to the liver and

decrease the action of

HMG Co-A reductase, one of the main enzymes involved

in the production

of cholesterol.

 

So, soluble fiber acts to reduce cholesterol levels

by:

 

Decreasing the absorption of dietary cholesterol

Increasing the removal of bile

Increasing the breakdown of blood cholesterol

Decreasing the production of cholesterol by the liver

 

Some excellent food sources of fiber include

raspberries, blueberries,

mustard

greens, cauliflower, collard greens, broccoli, chard

and turnip greens.

 

============================================================

 

Niacin

Niacin, also known as vitamin B3, has been shown to

decrease the

activity of HMG Co-A reductase, which leads to a

decrease in the body’s

production of cholesterol. It also helps to “increase”

the “breakdown”

of

cholesterol to bile, decreases the proliferation of

smooth muscle

cells,

 

helps to prevent LDL oxidation, reduces platelet

clumping, lowers

lipoprotein a levels, and can increase HDL, or good

cholesterol, levels

by as much as 15-40%.

 

“Increasing” *HDL* levels, particularly through

“diet”,

can “significantly decrease” atherosclerosis

progression.

 

Niacin use has been shown to decrease cholesterol

levels by 10-26% and

decrease myocardial infarction recurrence by 29%.

Niacin given to

patients after an acute myocardial infarction reduced

non-fatal MI

recurrence by 27% and decreased long-term overall

mortality by 11%.

 

Excellent food sources of niacin include crimini

mushrooms and fresh

tuna

while very good sources include free range chicken,

halibut, alaskan

salmon and asparagus.

 

 

 

Organic Soy

Cultures in which soy foods constitute a major portion

of the diet

typically have much lower rates of heart disease than

cultures with a

low consumption of soy. In addition to this

epidemiological data,

clinical studies have shown that soy foods are

protective against the

development of heart disease and its associated

mortality.

 

The beneficial effects found in these studies are due

to an intake of

“whole”

”soy foods” and not the “isolated” soy “components”

that are currently

available in “supplement” form.

Organic soy foods have been shown to decrease LDL

by 35-40% and total cholesterol levels by 30%,

decrease triglyceride

levels, and decrease platelet aggregation, reducing

the risk of blot

clots. Soy foods may also increase HDL cholesterol

levels.

 

 

 

A study published in the July 2003 issue of the

British Journal of

Nutrition suggests that diets high in soy protein also

protect against

atherosclerosis by increasing “blood levels” of

“nitric oxide”, a small

molecule known to improve blood vessel “dilation” and

to inhibit

oxidative

(free radical) damage of cholesterol and the adhesion

of white cells to

the vascular wall (two important steps in the

development of

atherosclerotic plaques).

 

In this study, when researchers gave mice bred to be

apoliprotein-E

deficient a purified diet containing either casein,

the principal

protein in dairy products, soy protein or rice

protein, the mice given

casein developed the largest atherosclerotic lesions.

(In humans as

well

 

as animals, apolipoprotein E plays an important role

in cholesterol

transport, so a deficiency of this protein increases

risk for the

development of atherosclerosis.) Mice given soy or

rice protein fared

much better.

In trying to understand why, the researchers evaluated

blood levels of

nitric oxide. Mice fed either soy or rice protein

diets were found to

have increased blood levels of L-arginine (the amino

acid that the body

uses to produce nitric oxide) and nitric oxide

metabolites when

compared

 

to those given casein-based feed. However, the

L-arginine content of

the

 

soy and rice diets was not high enough to explain the

amount of

protective benefit they conferred, so the researchers

concluded that

these foods must also contain other protective

compounds.

 

 

 

Soy’s beneficial effects have often been studied in

women. Now, a study

published in the February 2004 issue of the Journal of

the American

College of Nutrition has investigated the effects of

soy protein and

soy

 

isoflavones on blood pressure and cholesterol levels

in 61 middle-aged

Scottish men (aged 45 –59 years), at high risk of

developing coronary

heart disease. For five weeks, half the men consumed

diets containing

at

 

least 20 grams of soy protein and 80 miligrams of soy

isoflavones each

day. The effects on their blood pressure, cholesterol

levels, and

urinary excretion of isoflavones were measured, and

then compared to

those of the other half of the men who were given a

placebo diet

containing olive oil.

 

The men consuming soy in their diet were found to have

significant

reductions in both diastolic and systolic blood

pressure. Not only was

their total blood cholesterol significantly lower, but

their levels of

HDL (good) cholesterol significantly increased. While

the control group

consuming the soy-free diet containing olive oil also

experienced an

increase in their HDL cholesterol levels, their blood

pressure was not

affected, nor did their levels of LDL (potentially

harmful) cholesterol

drop.

The researchers concluded that daily intake of at

least 20 grams

of organic soy protein including 80 mg of isoflavones

for a minimum of

5

weeks

would be effective in reducing the risk of

cardiovascular disease in

high-risk, middle-aged men.

 

 

===========================================================

 

 

Taurine

Taurine is an amino acid component of protein

particularly common in

fish protein. It has been shown to decrease elevated

cholesterol levels

by decreasing the absorption of cholesterol in the

intestines as well

as

 

by increasing the conversion of cholesterol into bile,

thereby removing

it from the body. Studies have shown that those with

higher intakes of

taurine have a lower risk of ischemic heart disease

mortality. It is

suggested that people eat fish, a rich source of

taurine, at least 5

days a week in order to gain the “maximum” benefit.

 

Best Food Sources of Taurine: Fish. Cold-water fish

such as salmon and

cod are recommended as these are also rich in

beneficial omega-3

essential fatty acids.

 

Vitamin B6

Blood vitamin B6 levels tend to be lower in coronary

artery disease and

myocardial infarction patients, and some believe that

low blood vitamin

B6 levels may actually be useful as an indicator of

risk for myocardial

infarction. Vitamin B6 is one of the vitamins needed

for the proper

metabolism of homocysteine, discussed below.

Vitamin B6 may be beneficial to those trying to

prevent cardiovascular

disease for several other reasons:

 

Vitamin B6 has been shown in studies to decrease

platelet clumping and

thereby decrease risk of thrombosis.

 

Vitamin B6 supplement use has been shown to decrease

LDL cholesterol

levels by as much as 17%. Unfortunately, the use of

excessive amounts

of

 

vitamin B6 in supplement form for long periods of time

has been

associated with the development of a neurological

condition of

decreased

 

sensation in the hands and feet. These high levels are

not attainable

through dietary sources of vitamin B6 and only occur

in those taking

high levels of vitamin B6 supplements.

 

Some excellent food sources of vitamin B6 include bell

peppers, turnip

greens and spinach.

=========================================================

Nutrients That Help Prevent “Oxidation” Of Cholesterol

 

Vitamin E

 

Vitamin E, the primary fat-soluble antioxidant in the

body, is the

antioxidant found in highest quantities in LDL

cholesterol particles,

which it protects from oxidation. Vitamin E is the

main defender of

lipids (fats) and is responsible for putting a “halt”

to chain

reactions

 

of “lipid peroxidation” anywhere in the body. Vitamin

E has also been

shown to decrease platelet clumping, prevent the

rupture of existing

atheromas, decrease the migration of macrophages to

atheromas, prevent

the inhibition of NO production, and to decrease the

expression of

adhesion molecules on the surfaces of endothelial

cells, thereby

reducing the amount of binding that can occur with

monocytes and other

immune cells.

 

Studies have shown that people with lower vitamin E

levels tend to have

a higher rate of ischemic heart disease mortality and

vice versa. One

study found that people with the highest intake of

vitamin E from

dietary sources had less than half the risk of cardiac

events when

compared to those with the lowest intake. Other

studies have shown that

the use of vitamin E supplements has produced a 50%

reduction in the

progression of atheroma growth, a 63% decrease in

coronary heart

disease

 

death, a 34% reduction in risk of cardiac events in

women, a 77%

decrease in the reoccurrence of non-fatal myocardial

infarction, and a

39% decrease in risk of heart disease in men. Overall,

the use of

vitamin E supplements at any time was associated with

a 47% decrease in

heart disease related mortality.

The downside of the use of vitamin E is that large

amounts have been

associated with a possible increase in oxidation. In

order to prevent

oxidation of fats, the vitamin E itself must become

oxidized. If all of

the vitamin E in an LDL particle becomes oxidized, it

is then able to

cause oxidation of LDL cholesterol.

 

A way to prevent this from happening

is to make sure that there is enough of the

antioxidant vitamin C

available. Vitamin C is very effective at “restoring”

oxidized vitamin

E

 

back to its non-oxidized, antioxidant form. For this

reason, studies

recommend that an increase in vitamin E intake be

accompanied by an

”increase” in vitamin C intake. Also, because of its

ability to

decrease

 

platelet clumping and clot formation, supplemental

vitamin E should not

be used by those taking blood thinners unless they are

being closely

monitored by their doctor.

 

Mustard greens, chard, turnip greens, and sunflower

seeds are excellent

sources of vitamin E.

 

 

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is the primary water-soluble antioxidant

found in the body.

Although it is not found in LDL cholesterol particles

because it is not

fat-soluble, it does play a large role in the

prevention of LDL

oxidation. In addition to restoring antioxidant

function to vitamin E,

vitamin C also eliminates many free radicals produced

by normal body

metabolism, thus preventing them from “affecting”

cholesterol.

 

Low levels of vitamin C have also been associated with

higher levels of

total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol and lower levels

of HDL

cholesterol. Vitamin C is required for the breakdown

of cholesterol to

bile in the liver and also for the uptake of LDL

cholesterol into cells

for normal use.

 

Vitamin C use is therefore associated with a decrease

in

total and LDL cholesterol levels as well as an

increase in HDL levels.

These effects seem to be most pronounced in men and

tend to take about

six months of increased vitamin C intake to be

significant.

 

Low vitamin C levels are “associated” with an increase

in “cholesterol

deposition” in the “aorta”, the main artery leaving

the heart. Vitamin

C

 

has been shown to “decrease” the binding of monocytes

to atheroma

lesions,

thereby reducing the rate of atheroma growth. It is

especially

beneficial in preventing the negative effects of

smoking on the blood

vessels and heart. Vitamin C also reduces the

deactivation of NO and

actually increases the production of NO, leading to

decreased vessel

spasm and increased vasodilation.

 

Excellent food sources of vitamin C include broccoli,

parsley, green

bell peppers, cauliflower, lemons, romaine lettuce,

mustard greens, Brussels sprouts, kale, snow peas,

cabbage,

spinach, kiwifruit, cantaloupe, oranges, grapefruit,

chard,

collard greens, raspberries, peppermint leaves,

asparagus, celery,

fennel bulb, pineapple, and watermelon.

 

==========================================================

 

Bioflavonoids

 

Bioflavonoids, which are chemical substances

classified as “pigments”,

help provide fruits and vegetables with their

recognizable colors, and

have many different effects in the body including

“antioxidant”

effects.

A

high intake of bioflavonoids, specifically those found

in tea, onions,

citrus fruits, red grape skins, and apples, has been

associated with a

significant decrease in risk of cardiovascular disease

mortality.

Although the exact mechanisms of bioflavonoids'

actions are not fully

understood at this point in time, their beneficial

effects have been

well documented.

 

Some concentrated food sources of bioflavonoids

include red grapes,

onions, apples, and citrus fruits.

 

Beta-carotene

Beta-carotene is another antioxidant found in foods.

Although it is not

found in high quantities in LDL cholesterol particles,

it has been

shown

 

to prevent the oxidation of LDL cholesterol.

Beta-carotene, like

vitamin

 

C, is also able to increase vessel dilation and reduce

vessel spasm.

One

 

study has shown that patients with the lowest level of

beta-carotene

intake had almost twice the risk of having a

myocardial infarction

compared to those with the highest intake. The group

of patients taking

the highest intake of beta-carotene had about 1/3 the

risk of fatal

myocardial infarction and about 1/2 the risk of

cardiovascular death as

those in the group with the lowest intake. Excellent

food sources of

beta-carotene include carrots, kale, winter squash,

collard greens, chard, cantaloupe, mustard greens,

romaine lettuce,

spinach, parsley, cayenne pepper, peppermint leaves,

Brussels sprouts,

broccoli, asparagus, and apricots.

 

 

 

Lycopene

Research conducted at Brigham and Women's Hospital,

Boston, MA,

suggests

 

that in addition to its inverse association with

various cancers, a

high

 

dietary consumption of lycopene may play a role in

cardiovascular

disease prevention. The researchers tracked 39,876

middle-aged and

older

 

women who were free of both cardiovascular disease and

cancer when the

study began. During more than 7 years of follow-up,

those who consumed

7

 

to 10 servings each week of lycopene-rich foods were

found to have a

29%

 

lower risk of CVD compared to women eating less than

1.5 servings of

tomato products weekly.

 

 

Monounsaturated fats

Monounsaturated fats are a unique type of fat found in

particularly

high

 

quantities in olive oil. Studies have revealed that

populations that

follow the “Mediterranean” diet, which is high in

vegetables and whole

grains, and low in saturated fats, but relatively high

in total fat due

to a high intake of olive oil, tend to have fairly low

rates of

cardiovascular disease and its associated mortality.

Based on studies

of

 

fat intake and heart disease in many countries, it

would be expected

that these populations would have high rates of heart

disease because

of

 

the level of fat in their diets. However, the opposite

is true.

The substitution of dietary saturated fats with

monounsaturated fats

has been shown to decrease total cholesterol by 13.4%

and to decrease

LDL cholesterol by 18%.

 

The most important aspect of the use of

monounsaturated fats is that

they be used in place of saturated fats.

The best sources of monounsaturated fats include extra

virgin olive

oil,

 

high oleic sunflower oil, and avocadoes.

==============================================================

 

Nutrients That “Prevent Damage” to the Blood Vessel

Wall and Formation

and

Rupture of Blood Clots

 

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Omega-3 fatty acids, a type of fat essential for

normal body function,

are used to make cell membranes throughout the body

and immune

system-related chemicals that help regulate

inflammation. Omega-3 fatty

acids are found in fairly high quantities in cold

water fish, which is

one reason why populations with a high fish intake

have much lower

rates

 

of cardiovascular disease and related mortality

compared to those with

low fish intake.

 

Omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to decrease the

proliferation of

smooth muscle cells, decrease the movement of

macrophages into the

vessel wall, increase the removal of LDL cholesterol

from the

bloodstream, decrease platelet aggregation and

thrombus formation

following endothelial injury, increase vasodilation by

enhancing the

effects of NO, and increase thrombus (blood clot)

breakdown.

 

After a blood clot has caused a heart attack, omega-3

fatty acids have

been shown to increase the rate of clot breakdown,

reducing the damage

to the heart's cells caused by lack of blood flow.

Omega-3s also

”decrease” the “attraction” of immune cells to the

site of damage,

thereby

reducing the additional damage caused by these cells,

and reducing the

risk of ventricular fibrillation, or cardiac arrest,

after a heart

attack.

 

Consuming fish or fish oils as little as once a week

has been shown to

cause a 50% reduction in cardiac arrest, presumably

due to the ability

of omega-3 fats to prevent ventricular arrhythmias. In

general, people

with higher levels of omega-3 fats in their red blood

cells have a 70%

”decreased” risk of cardiac arrest than those with

lower levels. The

use

 

of fish oil was shown in one study to decrease

mortality by 29% in men

who had already had one acute myocardial infarction.

 

By decreasing the attraction of immune system cells,

omega-3 fats can

also prevent the high levels of free radicals that

these cells produce,

possibly leading to decreased oxidation of LDL

cholesterol. An

increased

 

intake of omega-3 fats combined with a low saturated

fat diet can

produce a 28% decrease in total cholesterol and a 30%

reduction in LDL

cholesterol.

 

 

Excellent food sources of omega-3 fatty acids include

alaskan salmon,

flax seeds and walnuts.

 

 

 

Zinc

Zinc is an essential mineral found in a variety of

whole foods. In

addition to acting as an antioxidant, zinc has other

functions that can

decrease the progression of atherosclerosis. Zinc is

needed for the

proper function of endothelial cells and helps to

prevent the

endothelial damage caused by oxidized LDL cholesterol

and other

oxidized

 

fats. Endothelial membranes low in zinc are much more

prone to injury.

 

Zinc can also prevent the increase in adhesion

molecules on damaged

endothelial cell membranes, thereby preventing the

increased binding of

immune cells which contributes to atheroma formation

and growth.

 

Zinc has been shown to prevent some of the damage to

heart muscle cells

after a myocardial infarction by “decreasing” the

“free radicals”

produced

by the immune cells that enter the area after the

thrombus has broken

down.

 

Zinc levels in general tend to be low in

atherosclerosis patients.

Increasing dietary intake of zinc with zinc-rich foods

can help to

prevent or reverse low zinc levels.

 

 

 

Magnesium

Magnesium, which is a cofactor in more than 300

enzymatic reactions in

the body, is a mineral essential for normal cell

metabolism and

function. Low dietary levels of magnesium are

associated with increased

rates of hypertension, heart arrhythmias, ischemic

heart disease, and

sudden cardiac death. Low levels of magnesium have

been found in the

hearts and blood vessels of patients with angina,

coronary artery

disease, and also in patients who have died of

ischemic heart disease

related sudden death.

 

Higher levels of magnesium in tap water is associated

with lower rates

of ischemic heart disease mortality. For example, more

magnesium is

found in the soil and drinking water in the Western

United States than

in the Eastern United States. More cardiovascular

disease and

associated

 

mortality is found in the East.

 

Low magnesium levels can occur due to low dietary

intake of magnesium

or

 

increased excretion of magnesium. Increased excretion

tends to be found

in patients with diabetes, high alcohol intake,

certain

gastrointestinal

 

problems, high sodium intake, and in people taking

diuretic medication.

 

Low magnesium levels are related to decreased function

of endothelial

cells including increased susceptibility to damage and

lesion

formation;

 

increased calcification of atheromas; decreased

collagen breakdown,

leading to increased collagen build up in atheromas;

elevated

lipoprotein and LDL levels; low HDL levels; decreased

normal cellular

uptake and use of cholesterol; increased cholesterol

build up in blood

vessel walls; and increased platelet clumping and clot

formation.

 

Increased intake of magnesium has been shown to result

in improved

function of heart cells in general due to improved

metabolism. In

addition, magnesium decreases vessel spasm and

increases vasodilation.

Magnesium can decrease the formation and growth of

atheromas, even in

patients with high cholesterol levels. In general,

increasing dietary

magnesium intake may decrease the progression of

atherosclerosis as

well

 

as helping to prevent the consequences of the

condition.

 

Chard and spinach are two excellent food sources of

magnesium.

 

 

Potassium

Potassium is found in every cell of the body and is

needed for normal

function, especially of the cells of the heart.

Although blood

potassium

 

levels are generally assumed to be kept at fairly

stable levels in the

body at all times, recent research has shown that

these levels can be

influenced somewhat.

 

Increasing the level of dietary potassium while also

decreasing the

level of dietary sodium can actually cause blood

potassium levels to

increase slightly. Although the increase is small, it

has been

associated with some fairly significant effects as far

as

cardiovascular

 

disease is concerned.

 

Higher blood levels of potassium have been shown to

decrease the amount

of free radicals produced by damaged endothelial cells

and activated

monocytes and macrophages. Higher levels have also

been shown to

decrease the proliferation of smooth muscle cells and

to decrease

platelet clumping and thrombus formation at the sites

of endothelial

damage. In addition, potassium has been shown to

protect against the

formation of vascular lesions.

 

When increasing dietary potassium, it is important to

also decrease

dietary sodium intake for these positive effects to

occur.

 

Chard, crimini mushrooms, and spinach are some

excellent food sources

of

 

potassium.

 

 

Garlic and Onion

Onions and garlic have been recognized as protective

against

cardiovascular disease for a long time. In studies,

when garlic and

onion oil were consumed along with butter, the

combination prevented

the

 

rise in blood cholesterol levels that typically occurs

after butter,

which is high in cholesterol and saturated fat, is

consumed.

 

Garlic and onion oil was found to contain compoments

that also

decreased

 

blood clotting and increased thrombus breakdown

potential.

 

Garlic intake has also been shown to decrease the

proliferation of

cells

 

in atheromas and to decrease the amount of cholesterol

found in these

cells.

 

In research studies, garlic use has been found to

decrease the amount

of cholesterol taken up by smooth muscle cells in

atherosclerosis

patients. Adding liberal amounts of garlic and onions

to food may

therefore improve blood cholesterol levels and reduce

the progression

of

 

atherosclerosis.

 

Best Food Sources of the Heart-Protective Components

in Onions and

Garlic: Fresh, raw garlic and onions contain higher

amounts of

beneficial compounds.

 

Note - Studies seem to indicate that the most

beneficial components of

garlic and onion are also the ones that tend to break

down over time.

For this reason, it is recommended that people use

fresh garlic and

onions, instead of dried or powdered, in their foods

in order to get

the

 

best effects.

 

Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, Folic acid and Betaine

These three B vitamins and betaine are all needed to

prevent the

buildup

 

of homocysteine, which is directly damaging to blood

vessel walls. As

mentioned above, homocysteine is an independent risk

factor for heart

disease development and mortality.

 

Homocysteine is formed as an intermediate product

during an important

process called the methylation cycle that occurs in

virtually all our

cells.

 

Betaine (along with the B vitamins, folic acid,

vitamin B12, B6; are

all required for methylation to proceed properly,

converting

homocysteine back to methionine through a number of

steps instead of

log

 

jamming after homocysteine is formed.

 

Organic eggs are a concentrated source of betaine.

 

 

In some people, homocysteine levels become elevated

because of an

inherited mutation in one or more of the genes that

produce the enzymes

for these reactions. These people typically require

more of B6, B12 and

folate than others in the population to keep their

homocysteine levels

low.

In others, elevated levels are due to a deficient

dietary intake of

these vitamins. In either case, increasing consumption

of foods

containing B12, B6 and folic acid is recommended to

decrease

homocysteine levels and reduce cardiovascular disease

risk.

 

Folate is needed for the conversion of homocysteine

back into

methionine. Studies have shown that low folate levels

are associated

with an increased risk of coronary heart disease

mortality. Increased

intake of folate has been shown to decrease

homocysteine levels by

25-50%.

 

Excellent food sources of folic acid include romaine

lettuce, spinach,

asparagus, turnip greens, mustard greens, parsley,

collard

greens, broccoli, cauliflower, beets, and lentils.

 

 

 

Vitamin B6

Low levels of vitamin B6 in the body are strongly

associated with

elevated homocysteine levels. Low vitamin B6 levels

are also associated

with a type of homocysteine problem only seen in some

patients after

they are challenged with methionine. In these

patients, homocysteine

levels appear normal, but when they are given

methionine as a test,

their homocysteine levels rise quickly and take a very

long time to

come

 

back down. These people also have an increased risk of

cardiovascular

disease. Vitamin B6 use can restore the results of the

methionine

challenge test, and therefore homocysteine metabolism,

to normal 56% of

the time, and produce great improvements in an

additional 20% of cases.

 

Some excellent food sources of vitamin B6 include bell

peppers, turnip

greens and spinach.

 

 

Nutrients That Help Decrease Hypertension

Note: These nutrients are most helpful in patients

with borderline high

blood pressure. Patients with extremely high blood

pressure or who are

taking medication for hypertension should be closely

monitored by their

physician.

 

Potassium

Potassium is an essential mineral needed for the

proper function of

every cell in the body. In particular, it is needed

for proper heart

and

 

blood vessel function. In people who eat more

“primitive” diets, which

are high in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains and

low in processed

foods, potassium intake levels are high, and rates of

cardiovascular

disease and hypertension tend to be very low. The fact

that people

consuming " primitive " diets have high levels of

potassium intake

compared to sodium intake is not surprising since most

fruits and

vegetables have a ratio of potassium to sodium of

50:1.

 

Diets that are high in potassium are especially good

at lowering blood

pressure if they are also low in sodium. In the U.S.,

intake of sodium

in the form of salt added to processed foods tends to

be very high,

while intake of potassium, found in high amounts in

fruits and

vegetables, tends to be very low. Compared to

societies where potassium

intake is high and sodium intake is low, the incidence

of hypertension

in the U.S. is much higher. Higher potassium intake,

especially when

sodium intake is fairly low, is not only associated

with decreased

blood

 

pressure, but with decreased risk of stroke due to

cardiovascular

disease.

 

Chard, crimini mushrooms, and spinach are some

excellent food sources

of

 

potassium.

 

 

 

Magnesium

Magnesium is another essential mineral that is needed

for basic cell

metabolism and function. Low levels of magnesium are

often observed in

patients with hypertension, especially the form of

hypertension that is

exacerbated by high sodium intake. As with potassium,

magnesium levels

tend to be lower when the diet is high in sodium.

 

Red blood cell levels of magnesium are strongly

related to diastolic

blood pressure. Diastolic blood pressure is the second

reading, which

is

 

taken after the heart has pumped and shows the

residual pressure left

in

 

the arteries. When red blood cell magnesium levels are

lower, diastolic

blood pressure tends to be higher. When levels are

higher, diastolic

blood pressure tends to be lower.

 

Hypertension also tends to lower phosphate levels,

which then can make

the hypertension worse. Increasing magnesium intake

has been shown to

restore phosphate levels to normal. In addition,

increased magnesium

intake has been shown to directly decrease blood

pressure levels.

 

Chard and spinach are two excellent food sources of

magnesium.

 

 

Taurine

Taurine is an amino acid found in high amounts in fish

protein.

Supplementation of the diet with taurine in one study

showed a decrease

in both systolic and diastolic blood pressures in

approximately 65% of

patients studied. To attain the amount of taurine used

in the study,

you

 

would need to consume fish at least five times a week.

 

 

Best Sources of Taurine: Fish - especially cold water

fish like salmon

and cod.

 

Nutrients That Decrease Insulin Resistance

When cells are resistant to insulin, high levels build

up in the blood

stream and are damaging to blood vessel walls. Insulin

resistance is a

primary characteristic of Type II (also called

Adult-onset or

Non-insulin Dependent) Diabetes. For detailed

information on nutrients

that decrease insulin resistance, please refer to

Non-Insulin Dependent

Diabetes.

 

Nutrient Excesses

The following nutrients or food substances, when

consumed in large

amounts, can contribute to the development and

progression of

atherosclerosis. Limiting intake of these lowers risk

of cardiovascular

disease mortality.

 

Saturated Fat and Cholesterol

As much as 80% of all elevated cholesterol levels are

thought to be due

to excessive amounts of cholesterol and saturated fat

in the diet.

Intake of saturated fats and cholesterol in the U.S.

are fairly high,

especially compared to populations with much lower

rates of

cardiovascular disease and associated mortality.

 

Diets low in cholesterol result in less dietary

cholesterol being

available for absorption into the blood stream.

 

Diets low in saturated fats can decrease cholesterol

by reducing the

amount of saturated fat available for conversion into

cholesterol, and

also by increasing the uptake and use of LDL

cholesterol by cells of

the

 

body.

Saturated fats and cholesterol are found primarily in

animal products

such as meat, dairy products including milk and

cheese, and eggs.

The saturated fat contained in organic

eggs, however, may not be as “problematic” for risk of

heart disease as

the saturated fat contained in other aminal products,

since it is

largely a different kind of saturated fat (made up of

building blocks

called " short chain " fatty acids).

 

Consumption of large amounts of meat and dairy

products in childhood is

now being associated with the beginning stages and

increased risk of

atherosclerosis in the future.

 

For example, high cholesterol levels in people under

30 years of age

are now believed to be strongly predictive of an

increased risk for

atherosclerosis later in life.

 

A number of studies support the reduction of

cholesterol intake to less

than 300 mg per day and reducing the amount of

saturated fat in the

diet

 

to less than 10% of total calories. Unfortunately,

studies show that

simply cutting back on cholesterol and saturated fat

may not be enough

to have a big impact on cholesterol levels. Diets low

in saturated fats

and cholesterol tend to lower total cholesterol levels

by about 5-10%

and LDL cholesterol by about 7-9%. One study comments

that those who

attempt to make these changes generally only lower

their cholesterol

levels by 3-4%.

 

A much greater reduction in cholesterol levels results

 

when intake of saturated fat and cholesterol is

minimized while intake

of soluble fiber and fish is increased.

 

Iron

Iron is a normal component of red blood cells that

allows them to carry

oxygen to the rest of the cells of the body. Too much

iron, however,

can

 

be problematic, especially when that iron floats

freely inside cells.

Studies have shown a correlation between higher levels

of iron stores

and an increased rate of cardiovascular mortality.

 

Some researchers propose that menstruating women's

lower levels of

stored iron may explain why they have a much lower

rate of

cardiovascular disease compared to men and

postmenopausal women. When

iron loss from menstruation stops after menopause,

iron levels can

build

 

up in women consuming an iron-rich diet, increasing

their risk of heart

disease.

 

Some studies have shown that regular blood donation

may decrease the

risk of myocardial infarction by as much as 86% in

men. The negative

effects of high iron stores and high amounts of free

iron inside of the

cells seem to occur most frequently in patients with

high cholesterol

or

 

LDL cholesterol levels. In one study done in men, the

risk for

myocardial infarction in men with the highest iron

stores was more than

double, while men with high iron stores and high

cholesterol levels had

four times the risk. Those with high iron stores and

low cholesterol

levels showed only a slight increase in risk.

 

It is believed that initial injury to the endothelial

wall causes iron

to be released from iron stores.

 

Once released, this iron becomes highly

reactive and is able to cause the oxidation of LDL

cholesterol.

 

Iron's “oxidation” of “LDL cholesterol” leads to the

formation and

progression of atheromas.

 

The main source of iron in the diet is meat,

especially red meat, which

contains high levels of a type of iron called heme

iron.

 

In fact, one study found that men who consumed meat 6

times a week had

a 60% increase

in risk of fatal coronary artery disease compared to

men who ate meat

less than once a week.

 

Fortunately, the relationship between dietary iron

intake and

cardiovascular risk does not appear to apply to

non-heme iron, which is

the type found in certain vegetables.

Elevated iron store levels can be

decreased through blood donation as well as exercise,

which can reduce

iron stores through sweating, increased muscle mass,

and red blood cell

metabolism.

 

Trans-fatty acids

Fatty acids are found in two main forms: cis and

trans. The cis form is

the form found most commonly in natural unrefined

vegetable oils and

animal

products.

 

However, certain conditions, such as heating oils for

a long period of

time or the process of hydrogenation, which turns

liquid oils into a

more solid form to create shelf-stable products such

as margarine,

creates fatty acids in the trans form.

 

The digestion of fats in certain

farm animals can also produce trans fats.

 

Trans fatty acids, therefore, are found in a number of

foods such as

margarine, baked goods, and fried foods, particularly

those from " fast

food " restaurants,

where the same oil is maintained at a high temperature

for long periods

and used " repeatedly " for frying.

 

 

 

Trans fat also occurs naturally (in much smaller

amounts) in most

animal

 

foods.

 

Recent studies have shown that trans fats are very

detrimental to the

body and increase the risk and progression of

atherosclerosis even more

than saturated fats. Many studies have shown a

correlation between high

levels of trans fatty acid intake and increased risk

for cardiovascular

disease and associated mortality.

 

One study showed that the risk of fatal myocardial

infarction between

those in the group with the highest trans fat

consumption level was

more

 

than twice that of the group with the lowest

consumption level.

 

Although trans fatty acids do not raise total

cholesterol and LDL

cholesterol levels as much as saturated fats do, they

have been shown

to

 

raise LDL levels higher than other types of oils.

 

In addition, trans fats also have been shown to

“decrease” *HDL* levels

and “raise” *lipoprotein a*

levels significantly.

 

The increases in lipoprotein a levels are estimated to

result in a 27%

increase in risk of coronary blood clot

formation.

Products containing hydrogenated oil or trans fats

should be eliminated

from the diet.

===========================================================

 

 

Vitamin D

 

Vitamin D, an essential vitamin that is needed for the

proper growth

and

 

development of bone, is created in the body from

cholesterol in the

presence of sunlight. Some populations in the U.S. and

other parts of

the world have limited exposure to adequate amount of

sunlight. In

order

 

to combat diseases associated with low levels of

vitamin D, especially

rickets, some foods are fortified with vitamin D. Milk

in particular is

normally supplemented with this vitamin.

 

While this practice has greatly reduced the incidence

of rickets in

many

 

parts of the country, new studies have shown a

possible link between

”excessive intake” of “vitamin D” *fortified* products

and the

progression of

atherosclerosis.

 

Vitamin D has been shown to increase the “rate” of

“calcium build-up”

in

 

vessel walls that is associated with “low magnesium”

intake.

 

It is not clear if the possible negative effects of

excess vitamin D

intake will occur in people with adequate magnesium

intake.

 

 

Recommended Diet

The recommended diet to help prevent, slow the

progression of, and

possibly even reverse atherosclerosis and heart

disease is low in

saturated fats, cholesterol, trans-fats, and processed

foods, and high

in whole foods.

 

According to current medical research, the most

important dietary actions you can take to reduce your

risk of

atherosclerosis and heart disease are:

 

Consume a healthy foods diet high in whole fruits,

vegetables, nuts,

especially walnuts,, seeds, legumes (beans and peas),

whole grains ,

especially oats,, and cold-water fish.

 

The importance of fruits and vegetables to

cardiovascular health is

underscorerd by a recent analysis of data gathered

from the Danish

Diet,

 

Cancer and Health study, which included 54,506 men and

women over a

four

 

year period. The results, published July 2003, showed

that those who

ate

 

the most fruits and vegetables (an average of 23

ounces per day) had a

28% lower risk of ischemic stroke compared to those

who ate the least

(an average of 5 ounces a day). The benefits of eating

fresh fruits

were

 

even higher. Those who consumed the most fruits had a

40% lower risk of

stroke compared to those who ate the least.

 

 

Oats, via their “high fiber” content, are already

known to help

“remove”

 

”cholesterol” from the digestive system that would

otherwise end up in

the

bloodstream.

Now, the latest research suggests they may have

another

cardio-protective mechanism.

 

Antioxidant compounds unique to oats, called

“avenanthramides”, help

prevent free radicals from damaging LDL cholesterol,

thus reducing the

risk of cardiovascular disease, suggests a study

conducted at Tufts

University and published in the June 2004 issue of The

Journal of

Nutrition.

 

In this study, hamsters were fed saline containing

0.25 grams of

phenol-rich oat bran, after which blood samples were

taken at intervals

from 20 to 120 minutes. After 40 minutes, blood

concentrations of

avenanthramides had peaked, showing these compounds

were bioavailable

(able to be absorbed).

 

Next, the researchers tested the antioxidant ability

of avenanthramides

to protect LDL cholesterol against oxidation (free

radical damage)

induced by copper. Not only did the avenanthramides

increase the amount

of time before LDL became oxidized, but when vitamin C

was added, the

oat phenols “interacted synergistically” with the

vitamin, extending

the

 

time during which LDL was protected from 137 to 216

minutes.

 

In another study also conducted at Tufts and published

in the July 2004

issue of Atherosclerosis, researchers exposed human

arterial wall cells

to purified avenenthramides from oats for 24 hours,

and found that

these

 

oat phenols significantly “suppressed” the

“production” of several

types

of

molecules involved in the “attachment” of monocytes

(immune cells in

the

 

bloodstream) to the “arterial wall”—the first step in

the development

of

 

atherosclerosis.

 

Oat avenanthamides suppressed production of ICAM-1

(intracellular

adhesion molecule-1) and VCAM-1 (vascular adhesion

molecule-1),

E-selectin, and the secretion of pro-inflammatory

cytokines KL-6,

chemokines IL-8 and protein MCP-1 (monocyte

chemoattractant protein).

 

Our advice: Cut an orange in quarters or pour yourself

a glass of

orange

 

juice to enjoy along with your oatmeal. If you prefer

some other grain

for your breakfast cereal, top it with a heaping

spoonful of oat

bran.(August 1, 2004)

 

Soy foods such as tofu, tempeh, soy miso, and non-gmo

soymilk, should

be

 

eaten several times per week as a replacement for

animal protein

sources

 

high in saturated fat such as dairy products and red

meats.

 

Cold water fish, such as alaskan salmon and cod,

should be eaten as

often as 4-5 times per week since they not only

provide excellent

protein, but are rich in omega-3 essential fatty

acids.

 

Legumes, which are rich in fiber, protein and minerals

should also be

dietary mainstays. Fat-free cooking is recommended.

Add fats after food

is removed from the heat for flavor. If you do choose

to cook with fat,

cook at the lowest temperature and for the shortest

time possible.

 

Extra virgin olive oil is the best choice as this oil

is high in

monounsaturated fats, the fat most “resistant” to

“damage” when heated.

 

 

 

Studies in weight-stable persons have shown that a

diet including a

moderate amount of fat results in lower blood levels

of triglycerides

and higher levels of beneficial HDL cholesterol than a

low-fat diet.

Now a new study suggests that a weight-loss diet high

in

”monounsaturated” fat and moderate in total fat may be

more

“heart-healthy”

than one that’s low in fat.

 

In this new study, published in the February 2004

issue of the American

Journal of Clinical Nutrition and funded by the Peanut

Institute, 53

overweight and obese men and women were randomly

assigned to follow

weight-loss diets for that were either very low in fat

(18% of calories

from fat) or moderate in fat (33% fat, with half the

fat from peanut

products). Participants consumed the weight-loss diet

for six weeks,

after which they followed a weight maintenance diet

for an additional

four weeks.

 

After the six week weight-loss period, both groups had

lost about 15

pounds and lowered their levels of potentially harmful

LDL. However,

while those on the moderate fat diet kept their

protective HDL

cholesterol at the same level, thus significantly

improving their ratio

of HDL:LDL, those on the low-fat diet saw their HDL

cholesterol drop by

12%, so their ratio of HDL:LDL did not improve

—offsetting some of the

heart benefits.

 

In addition, during four weeks of weight maintenance,

HDLs remained

high

 

in the moderate-fat group, who also further lowered

their triglyceride

levels, while triglyceride levels rebounded in those

on the low-fat

diet. (High triglycerides are a problem because they

promote fat

absorption in the artery wall.)

 

The message:

moderate consumption of healthy monounsaturated fats,

such

as are found in olive oil and nuts, e.g., organic

peanuts, appears to

lessen risk of cardiovascular disease more than a

low-fat diet.

 

We’d add that the moderate fat diet is easier to

follow since a little

healthy fat adds satiety and a lot of flavor to your

meals.

 

For salad dressings, olive oil and flaxseed oil (which

is high in

omega-3 essential fats) are the most heart-healthy

choices. Flaxseed

oil

 

is easily damaged by light and heat, so it should

always be

refrigerated

 

and never used in cooking.

 

 

 

Nuts, especially walnuts, are another source of

cardio-protective fats.

A

study conducted at the Lipid Clinic in Barcelona,

Spain, and published

in the April 2004 issue of Circulation suggests that

walnuts protect

the

 

heart by doing much more than just lowering

cholesterol.

 

For four weeks, 21 men and women with high cholesterol

followed either

a

 

regular, low-calorie Mediterranean diet or one in

which walnuts were

substituted for about one-third of the calories

supplied by olives,

olive and other monounsaturated fats in the

Mediterranean diet. Then,

for a second four weeks, they switched over to the

diet they had not

yet

 

been on.

 

Not only did the walnut diet significantly reduce

total cholesterol (a

drop that ranged from 4.4 to 7.4%) and LDL (bad)

cholesterol (a drop

ranging from 6.4 to 10%), but walnuts were also found

to “increase” the

”elasticity” of the arteries by 64%, and to “reduce”

levels of vascular

cell

adhesion molecules, a key player in the development of

atherosclerosis

(hardening of the arteries).

 

The researchers found that the drop in cholesterol

correlated with

increases in blood levels of alpha-linolenic acid, a

key essential

fatty

 

acid from which omega 3 fats can be derived, and

gamma-tocopherol, a

form of vitamin E.

 

Walnuts are uniquely rich in both of these nutrients,

which have shown

”heart protective” benefits in other studies.

 

The Food and Drug Administration has recently cleared

the health claim

that “eating 1.5 ounces per day of walnuts as part of

a diet low in

saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of

heart disease.”

 

" This is the first time a whole food, not its

“isolated components”,

has

 

shown this beneficial effect on vascular health, " said

Emilio Ros, who

led the study at the Hospital Clinic of Barcelona.

 

For heart-healthy protein sources, depend on cold

water fish, legumes,

and non-gmo soy products. Increase antioxidant intake

by increasing

consumption

of whole fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole

grains.

 

 

 

Increase your consumption of protective “polyphenols”

by enjoying a

glass

of dealcoholized red wine. If you’ve read about the

cardioprotective

benefits of drinking red wine, but would prefer to

avoid the alcohol, a

study published in the January 2004 issue of the

American Journal of

Clinical Nutrition offers an alcohol-free alternative.

 

 

In this six month study, female rats with an inbred

susceptibility to

develop cardiovascular disease were given a normal

diet along with red,

white or dealcoholized red wine to compare their

effects on

atherosclerosis development. Dealcoholized red wine

provided effective

protection comparable to that of either white or red

wine,

significantly

 

decreasing the development of atherosclerosis.

 

Researchers credit the polyphenolic compounds found in

the wine, rather

than alcohol, with these beneficial effects. Earlier

studies have

suggested that the polyphenols in red wine strongly

inhibit the

synthesis of endothelin-1, a potent vasoconstrictor

produced by the

cells that make up the inner lining of the vascular

system that plays a

central role in the development of atherosclerosis.

 

 

 

Another excellent source of polyphenols, kiwi fruit,

can significantly

lower your risk for blood clots and reduce the amount

of fats

(triglycerides) in your blood, making kiwi a delicious

blood-thinning

alternative to aspirin for protecting cardiovascular

health.

==============================================================

 

Aspirin (and other NSAIDs or non-steroidal

anti-inflammatory drugs,

such

 

as Tylenol and Ibuprofen) can cause inflammation,

ulcers and bleeding

in

 

the intestinal tract so severe that each year around

100,000 people are

hospitalized and between 10,000 and 20,000 die from

NSAID-related

complications.

===========================================================

 

Unlike NSAIDs, the effects of regular kiwi consumption

are all

beneficial. Kiwi fruit is an excellent source of

vitamin C, and

polyphenols, and a good source of vitamin E,

magnesium, potassium, and

copper, all of which may function individually or in

concert to protect

the blood vessels and heart.

 

In this study, human volunteers who ate 2 to 3 kiwi

fruit per day for

28

 

days reduced their platelet aggregation response

(potential for blood

clot formation) by 18% compared to controls eating no

kiwi.

 

In addition, kiwi eaters' triglycerides (blood fats)

dropped by 15%

compared to controls.

 

Increase soluble fiber intake by increasing

consumption of whole

grains,

 

fruits and vegetables.

 

Increase omega-3 fat intake by increasing consumption

of cold water

fish, flaxseed and walnuts.

Increase intake of " oleic acid " (the monounsaturated

fat found in olive

oil that has been shown to lower LDL cholesterol) by

increasing

consumption of hazelnuts, California avocado, almonds,

pecans,

pistahios, cashews and Brazil nuts.

 

 

 

Enjoy organic tomato juice as a snack or to start your

lunch or dinner.

 

Tomato juice is an effective blood thinner, suggests

Australian

research

 

published in the August 2004 issue of the prestigious

Journal of the

American Medical Association. In this study, 20 people

with type 2

diabetes were given 250 ml (about 8 ounces) of tomato

juice or a

tomato-flavored placebo daily. Subjects had no history

of clotting

problems and were taking no medications that would

affect blood

clotting

 

ability.

 

After just 3 weeks, platelet aggregation (the clumping

together of

blood

 

cells) was significantly reduced among those drinking

real tomato

juice,

 

while no such effect was noted in those receiving

placebo. While of

special benefit for those with type 2 diabetes who are

at increased

risk

 

of cardiovascular disease, the blood thinning effects

of tomato juice

are noteworthy for anyone at higher risk of blood clot

formation.

 

Drink more tea. Drinking tea may help lower the amount

of LDL (bad)

cholesterol in the blood, a small study conducted at

the Agricultural

Research Service Beltsville Human Nutrition Research

Center suggests.

 

Seven men and eight women, aged 20 to 70, participated

in this

nutrition

 

research, which investigated the effects of three

beverages—black tea,

a

 

placebo of tea-flavored water, and tea-flavored water

with a similar

amount of caffeine added to that found in black tea.

During the 12 week

randomized crossover study, participants ate a diet

moderately low in

fat and drank five servings of tea, tea-flavored water

or caffeinated

tea-flavored water daily for a three week period,

after which they

rotated through the other two choices.

 

While drinking tea, participants’ total cholesterol

was reduced an

average of 6.5%, LDL cholesterol 11.1%,

apoliopoprotein B 5% and

lipoprotein(a) 16.4%. (apo B is a protein molecule,

one of which is

found on the surface of each molecule of LDL.

Lp(a) is another protein

that bonds to the LDL molecule, rendering it much more

likely to stick

to the blood vessel lining and initiate the

atherogenic process. High

levels of either indicate increased risk of

cardiovascular disease).

 

Limit your consumption of animal products derived from

domesticated

animals such as milk, cheese, and red meats.

Organic eggs, however, may be an exception.

 

Eating organic eggs may help lower risk of a heart

attack or stroke by

helping to " prevent " blood clots.

 

A study published in the October 2003 issue of

Biological and

Pharmaceutical Bulletin demonstrated that proteins in

egg yolk are not

only potent inhibitors of human platelet aggregation,

but also prolong

the time it takes for fibrinogen, a protein present in

blood, to be

converted into fibrin.

 

Fibrin serves as the scaffolding upon which clumps of

platelets along

with red and white blood cells are deposited to form a

blood clot.

 

These anti-clotting egg yolk proteins inhibit clot

formation in a

dose-dependent manner—the more egg yolks eaten, the

more " clot

preventing " action.

 

Avoid " processed " foods such as snack foods, white

bread and baked

goods

made from refined flours.

 

Avoid consumption of fried foods, margarine,

overheated vegetable oils,

and processed foods containing trans fats.

 

--------------------------------

 

References

Addis PB, Carr TP,et al. Atherogenic and

anti-atherogenic factors in

the

 

human diet. Biochem Soc Symp 1995;61:259-71.

Altura BM, Altura BT. Cardiovascular risk factors and

magnesium:

relationships to atherosclerosis, ischemic heart

disease and

hypertension. Magnes Trace Elem 1991;10(2-4):182-92.

Anderson JW. Dietary fiber, lipids and

atherosclerosis. Am J Cardiol

1987 Oct 30;60(12):17G-22G.

Anderson JW. Diet first, then medication for

hypercholesterolemia. JAMA

Jul 23;290(4):531-3.

Ballal RS, Jacobsen DW, Robinson K. Homocysteine:

update on a new risk

factor. Cleve Clin J Med 1997 Nov-1997 Dec

31;64(10):543-9.

Bordia A, Bansal HC, et al. Effect of the essential

oils of garlic and

onion on alimentary hyperlipemia. Atherosclerosis 1975

Jan-1975 Feb

28;21(1):15-9.

Borgia MC, Medici F. Perspectives in the treatment of

dyslipidemias in

the prevention of coronary heart disease. Angiology

1998

May;49(5):339-48.

Carr AC, Zhu BZ, Frei B. Potential antiatherogenic

mechanisms of

ascorbate (vitamin C) and alpha-tocopherol (vitamin

E). Circ Res 2000

Sep 1;87(5):349-54.

Chen CY, Milbury PE, Kwak HK, Collins FW, Samuel P,

Blumberg JB.

Avenanthramides phenolic acids from oats are

bioavailable and act

synergistically with vitamin C to enhance hamster and

human LDL

resistance to oxidation. J Nutr. 2004

Jun;134(6):1459-66.

Cho HJ, Ham HS, Lee DS, Park HJ. Effects of proteins

from hen egg yolk

on human platelet aggregation and blood coagulation.

Biol Pharm Bull.

2003 Oct;26(10):1388-92.

Connor SL, Connor WE. Are fish oils beneficial in the

prevention and

treatment of coronary artery disease. Am J Clin Nutr

1997 Oct;66(4

Suppl):1020S-31S.

Corder R, Douthwaite JA, Lees DM, Khan NQ, Viseu Dos

Santos AC, Wood

EG,

 

Carrier MJ. Endothelin-1 synthesis reduced by red

wine. Nature. 2001

Dec

 

20-27;414(6866):863-4.

Davies MJ, Judd JT, Baer DJ, Clevidence BA, Paul DR,

Edwards AJ,

Wiseman

 

SA, Muesing RA, Chen SC. Black tea consumption reduces

total and LDL

cholesterol in mildly hypercholesterolemic adults. J

Nutr. 2003

Oct;133(10):3298S-3302S.

de Valk B, Marx JJ. Iron, atherosclerosis, and

ischemic heart disease.

Arch Intern Med 1999 Jul 26;159(14):1542-8.

De Vriese AS, De Sutter JH, et al. Mild to moderate

hyperhomocysteinaemia in cardiovascular disease. Acta

Cardiol

1998;53(6):337-44.

Desroches S, Mauger JF, Ausman LM, Lichtenstein AH,

Lamarche B. Soy

protein favorably affects LDL size independently of

isoflavones in

hypercholesterolemic men and women. J Nutr. 2004

Mar;134(3):574-9. .

Duttaroy A, Jørgensen A. Effects of kiwi fruit

consumption on platelet

aggregation and plasma lipids in healthy human

volunteers. Platelets

2004 Aug;15(5):287-292. .

Emmert DH, Kirchner JT. The role of vitamin E in the

prevention of

heart

 

disease. Arch Fam Med 1999 Nov-1999 Dec

31;8(6):537-42.

Fung TT, Stampfer MJ, Manson JE, Rexrode KM, Willett

WC, Hu FB.

Prospective Study of Major Dietary Patterns and Stroke

Risk in Women.

Stroke. 2004 Jul 1 [Epub ahead of print].

Hak AE, Ma J, Powell CB, Campos H, Gaziano JM, Willett

WC, Stampfer MJ.

Prospective Study of Plasma Carotenoids and

Tocopherols in Relation to

Risk of Ischemic Stroke. Stroke. 2004 Jun 3 [Epub

ahead of print].

Harris WS. The prevention of atherosclerosis with

antioxidants. Clin

Cardiol 1992 Sep;15(9):636-40.

He K, Song Y, Daviglus ML, Liu K, Van Horn L, Dyer AR,

Goldbourt U,

Greenland P. He K, Song Y, Daviglus ML, Liu K, Van

Horn L, Dyer AR,

Goldbourt U, Greenland P. Stroke. 2004

Jul;35(7):1538-42. Epub 2004 May

20.

Henderson LM. Niacin. Ann Rev Nutr 1983;3:289-307.

Hennig B, Toborek M, Mcclain CJ. Antiatherogenic

properties of zinc:

implications in endothelial cell metabolism. Nutrition

1996

Oct;12(10):711-7.

Holvoet P, Collen D. Lipid lowering and enhancement of

fibrinolysis

with

 

niacin. Circulation 1995 Aug 15;92(4):698-9.

Hotz W. Nicotinic acid and its derivatives: a short

survey. Adv Lipid

Res 1983;20:195-217.

Howard PA, Meyers DG. Effect of vitamin C on plasma

lipids. Ann

Pharmacother 1995 Nov;29(11):1129-36.

Hung HC, Joshipura KJ, Jiang R, Hu FB, Hunter D,

Smith-Warner SA,

Colditz GA, Rosner B, Spiegelman D, Willett WC. Fruit

and vegetable

intake and risk of major chronic disease. J Natl

Cancer Inst. 2004 Nov

3;96(21):1577-84.

Jenkins DJ, Kendall CW, Marchie A, Faulkner D, Vidgen

E, Lapsley KG,

Trautwein EA, Parker TL, Josse RG, Leiter LA, Connelly

PW. The effect

of

 

combining plant sterols, soy protein, viscous fibers,

and almonds in

treating hypercholesterolemia. Metabolism. 2003

Nov;52(11):1478-83.

Jenkins DJ, Kendall CW, Marchie A, Faulkner DA, Wong

JM, de Souza R,

Emam A, Parker TL, Vidgen E, Lapsley KG, Trautwein EA,

Josse RG, Leiter

LA, Connelly PW. Effects of a dietary portfolio of

cholesterol-lowering

foods vs lovastatin on serum lipids and C-reactive

protein. JAMA Jul

23;290(4):502-10.

Johnsen SP, Overvad K, Stripp C, Tjonneland A, Husted

SE, Sorensen HT.

Intake of fruit and vegetables and the risk of

ischemic stroke in a

cohort of Danish men and women. Am J Clin Nutr.

Jul;78(1):57-64.

Joshipura KJ, Hu FB, Manson JE et al. The effect of

fruit and vegetable

intake on risk for coronary heart disease. Ann Intern

Med 2001 Jun

19;134(12):1106-14.

Kerver JM, Yang EJ, Bianchi L, Song WO. Dietary

patterns associated

with

 

risk factors for cardiovascular disease in healthy US

adults. Am J Clin

Nutr. 2003 Dec;78(6):1103-10. .

Kok FJ, Kromhout D. Atherosclerosis Epidemiological

studies on the

health effects of a Mediterranean diet. .Eur J Nutr.

2004 Mar;43 Suppl

1:I2-I5.

Lazarus SA, Bowen K, Garg ML. Tomato juice and

platelet aggregation in

type 2 diabetes. JAMA. 2004 Aug 18;292(7):805-6.

Liu L, Zubik L, Collins FW, Marko M, Meydani M. The

antiatherogenic

potential of oat phenolic compounds. Atherosclerosis.

2004

Jul;175(1):39-49.

Malinow MR. Plasma homocyst(e)ine and arterial

occlusive diseases: a

mini-review. Clin Chem 1995 Jan;41(1):173-6.

Marigliano V, Scuteri A, et al. Hypertension and

atherosclerosis in the

elderly: pathogenetic common mechanism and

intervention strategies.

Clin

 

Exp Hypertens 1993;15 Suppl 1:9-29.

Maxwell SR, Lip GY. Free radicals and antioxidants in

cardiovascular

disease. Br J Clin Pharmacol 1997 Oct;44(4):307-17.

Merrill AH, Henderson JM. Diseases associated with

defects in vitamin

B6

 

metabolism or utilization. Annu Rev Nutr

1987;7:137-56.

Ni W, Tsuda Y, Takashima S, Sato H, Sato M, Imaizumi

K.

Anti-atherogenic

 

effect of soya and rice-protein isolate, compared with

casein, in

apolipoprotein E-deficient mice. Br J Nutr

Jul;90(1):13-20.

Olthof MR, van Vliet T, Boelsma E, Verhoef P. Low dose

betaine

supplementation leads to immediate and long term

lowering of plasma

homocysteine in healthy men and women. J Nutr. 2003

Dec;133(12):4135-8.

..

Orekhov AN, Tertov VV, et al. Direct

anti-atherosclerosis-related

effects of garlic. Ann Med 1995 Feb;27(1):63-5.

Panagiotakos D, Chyrsohoou C, Pitsavos C. Consumption

of Fruits and

Vegetables Attenuates the Risk of Developing Acute

Coronary Syndromes.

The Cardio2000 Study, presented at the European

Society of Cardiology

Congress, Vienna, Austria, August 30-September 3,

2003.

Pelkman CL, Fishell VK, Maddox DH, Pearson TA, Mauger

DT, Kris-Etherton

PM. . Effects of moderate-fat (from monounsaturated

fat) and low-fat

weight-loss diets on the serum lipid profile in

overweight and obese

men

 

and women. Am J Clin Nutr. 2004 Feb;79(2):204-12.

Pereira MA, O'Reilly E, Augustsson K, Fraser GE,

Goldbourt U, Heitmann

BL, Hallmans G, Knekt P, Liu S, Pietinen P, Spiegelman

D, Stevens J,

Virtamo J, Willett WC, Ascherio A. Dietary fiber and

risk of coronary

heart disease: a pooled analysis of cohort studies.

Arch Intern Med.

2004 Feb 23;164(4):370-6.

Rayssiguier Y. Role of magnesium and potassium in the

pathogenesis of

arteriosclerosis. Magnesium 1984;3(4-6):226-38.

Refsum H, Ueland PM, et al. Homocysteine and

cardiovascular disease.

Annu Rev Med 1998;49:31-62.

Richardson K. Soy could be good for the heart and

bones of

premenopausal

 

women. Research conducted at Wake Forest University

Baptist Medical

Center and presented at the annual meeting of the

North American

Menopause Society, Washington, D.C., October 6-9,

2004.

Ros E, Nunez I, Perez-Heras A, Serra M, Gilabert R,

Casals E, Deulofeu

R. A walnut diet improves endothelial function in

hypercholesterolemic

subjects: a randomized crossover trial. Circulation.

2004 Apr

6;109(13):1609-14. .

Rosell MS, Appleby PN, Spencer EA, Key TJ. Soy intake

and blood

cholesterol concentrations: a cross-sectional study of

1033 pre- and

postmenopausal women in the Oxford arm of the European

Prospective

Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition. American

Journal of Clinical

Nutrition, Vol. 80, No. 5, 1391-1396, November 2004.

Sagara M, Kanda T, Jelekera MN, Teramoto T, Armitage

L, Birt N, Birt C,

Yamori Y. Effects of dietary intake of soy protein and

isoflavones on

cardiovascular disease risk factors in high risk,

middle-aged men in

Scotland. J Am Coll Nutr. 2004 Feb;23(1):85-91. .

Sauvaget C, Nagano J, Allen N, Kodama K. Vegetable and

fruit intake and

stroke mortality in the Hiroshima/Nagasaki Life Span

Study. Stroke.

2003

 

Oct;34(10):2355-60.

Schmidt EB, Dyerberg J. Omega-3 fatty acids. Current

status in

cardiovascular medicine. Drugs 1994 Mar;47(3):405-24.

Sesso HD, Liu S, Gaziano JM, Buring JE. Dietary

lycopene, tomato-based

food products and cardiovascular disease in women. J

Nutr

Jul;133(7):2336-41.

Steffen LM, Jacobs DR, Stevens J, Shahar E, Carithers

T, Folsom A.

Associations of whole-grain, refined-grain, and fruit

and vegetable

consumption with risks of all-cause mortality and

incident coronary

artery disease and ischemic stroke: the

Atherosclerosis Risk in. Am J

Clin Nutr 78: 383-390.

Stender S, Dyerberg J, et al. The influence of trans

fatty acids on

health: a report from the Danish Nutrition Council.

Clin Sci (Colch)

1995 Apr;88(4):375-92.

Stocker R, O'Halloran RA. Dealcoholized red wine

decreases

atherosclerosis in apolipoprotein E gene-deficient

mice independently

of

 

inhibition of lipid peroxidation in the artery wall.

Am J Clin Nutr.

2004 Jan;79(1):123-30.

Yamori Y, Nara Y, et al. Is taurine a preventive

nutritional factor of

cardiovascular diseases or just a biological marker of

nutrition. Adv

Exp Med Biol 1996;403:623-9.

Young DB, Lin H, McCabe RD. Potassium's cardiovascular

protective

mechanisms. Am J Physiol 1995 Apr;268(4 Pt 2):R825-37.

 

Yusuf S. Hawken S, Ounpuu S, Dans T, Avezum A, Lanas

F, McQueen M,

Budaj

 

A, Pais P, Varigos J, Lisheng L. Effect of potentially

modifiable risk

factors associated with myocardial infarction in 52

countries (the

INTERHEART study): case-control study. Lancet 2004

Sep;364(9438):937-952.

 

 

 

 

AIM Barleygreen

" Wisdom of the Past, Food of the Future "

 

http://www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Diets.html