Inflammation and Heart Disease: Soothing the Burning Heart

[Guest guest]

Inflammation and Heart Disease: Soothing the Burning Heart JoAnn Guest Aug

01, 2005 17:18 PDT

 

Doctors increasingly consider inflammation as the cause of heart

disease. Here’s why – and what you can do about it…

 

http://www.willner.com/article.aspx?artid=33

By Jack Challem

 

Over just the past several years, researchers and physicians have been

redefining the cause of coronary artery (heart) disease. The old view

was that high-fat diets led to cholesterol deposits in arteries, choking

off the blood supply and eventually causing a heart attack.

 

The new view is that heart disease begins as an inflammatory disorder of

the blood vessels,

 

with " cholesterol-laden " lesions forming after the " initial damage " to

arteries.

 

This is a fundamentally different way of explaining the leading cause of

death among Americans. Some 60 million people have coronary heart

disease, resulting in approximately 725,000 deaths each year.

 

As you might imagine, new thinking on the cause heart disease leads to

different strategies for prevention.

 

LDL Cholesterol and Inflammation

 

About 15 years ago, researchers began piecing together exactly how the

“bad” low-density lipoprotein (LDL) form of cholesterol was related to

inflammation and heart disease.

 

In a series of human and cell studies, Ishwarlal “Kenny” Jialal, M.D.,

then with the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas,

discovered that " normal LDL " did not promote heart disease. LDL caused

heart disease only when it became

“oxidized,” or damaged by harmful molecules known as free radicals.

 

Jialal’s studies found that the " immune system " responded to oxidized

LDL much the way it did to bacteria.

 

White blood cells would attack and " engulf " globules of oxidized LDL,

but they would ignore normal LDL. After capturing oxidized LDL, the

white blood cells would then become lodged in the walls of arteries,

creating the initial lesions that most people

call “cholesterol deposits.”

 

Jialal also found that vitamin E, an antioxidant, " prevented " LDL

oxidation and reduced the activity of white blood cells against LDL.

 

C-Reactive Protein and Inflammation

 

Still, it was not until 2000 that the role of inflammation in heart

disease gained momentum.

Paul Ridker, M.D., of the Harvard Medical School, developed a new blood

test, known as high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP), to measure

inflammation.

 

He reported in the New England Journal of Medicine that people with

elevated blood levels of CRP were four times more likely to suffer a

heart attack, compared with people who had normal CRP levels.

 

CRP is both an indicator and a promoter of inflammation.

 

It is part of a " family " of molecules called " cytokines " , which cells

use to communicate with each other.

 

CRP, interleukin-6 (IL-6), and many other cytokines " tell " immune cells

to mount an inflammatory response.

Other types of cytokines let cells know when it is time to reduce

inflammation.

 

Some researchers believe that inflammation, stimulated in part by CRP

and white blood cells, directly " damages " blood vessel walls.

 

Another view is that inflammation

 

*destabilizes* " cholesterol deposits " ,

 

prompting them to break apart and " block " a blood vessel.

 

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

 

A Pro-Inflammatory Diet

 

Although the research points to a strong cause-and-effect relationship

between inflammation and heart disease, a crucial question remains:

 

What causes this chronic inflammation?

 

The answer may lie in our eating habits.

 

Two of the body’s principal arbiters of inflammation are the omega-6 and

omega-3 families of fats, and the " building blocks " of these fats are

" found " in foods.

 

The omega-6 family of fats generally " promotes " inflammation, whereas

the omega-3 family " reduces " inflammation.

 

Ancient human diets contained relatively " equal portions " of these fats.

 

 

However, modern processed foods—convenience foods and fast foods—have

" tilted " this ratio to about 30:1 in favor of pro-inflammatory omega-6

fats.

 

These fats are found in common cooking oils (such as corn, safflower,

peanut, and soybean oils), as well as in salad dressings, mayonnaise,

potato chips, fries, and baked goods.

 

Many of these foods also contain " trans fats " , which interfere with the

body’s " processing " of

" anti-inflammatory " omega-3 fats.

 

Furthermore, research by Simin Liu, M.D., Sc.D., of the Harvard Medical

School, has shown that sugars, refined carbohydrates and other

high-glycemic foods " increase " CRP levels.

 

Diets high in refined sugars and refined starches also displace more

nutritious antioxidant-rich vegetables, which can reduce LDL oxidation

and CRP levels.

 

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

 

Adopting an Anti-Inflammatory Diet

 

To restore a balance between pro- and anti-inflammatory fats, it is

important to emphasize coldwater fish (such as alaskan salmon, fresh

tuna, and herring), which contain substantial amounts of

anti-inflammatory omega-3 fats.

 

Chicken and beef from free-range (not grain fed) animals also have

large amounts of omega-3 fats with relatively small amounts of saturated

fat.

 

In addition, opt for cooking oils that contain large amounts of

anti-inflammatory omega-9 fats. These oils include extra-virgin olive

oil and macadamia nut oil.

 

Also, it is best to eat nonstarchy vegetables (such as salads, broccoli,

cauliflower, and green beans) and nonstarchy fruits (such as

blueberries, raspberries, and kiwi).

 

These foods are rich in antioxidants, which " curtail " inflammation.

 

Meanwhile, reduce your consumption of foods with sugars and refined

starches, and avoid all foods with " trans fats " (found

in hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated vegetable oils).

 

 

Taking Anti-Inflammatory Supplements

 

Several supplements have a pronounced " anti-inflammatory " effect and,

not surprisingly, have been found to reduce the risk of heart disease.

 

• Vitamin E. Vitamin E has been used since the 1940s to prevent and

treat heart disease. Several clinical studies have found that

natural-source vitamin E can lower CRP levels by 30 to 50 percent.

 

Its anti-inflammatory effect has also been corroborated in two studies

of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Try 400 IU daily.

 

• Fish oil supplements. Fish oil supplements provide a concentrated

source of anti-inflammatory omega-3 fats.

These fats reduce the risk of blood clots and heart-rhythm

abnormalities. Try 1,000 to 3,000 mg

daily.

 

• Other antioxidants. Vitamin C, alpha-lipoic acid, mixed carotenoids

(beta-carotene, lutein, and lycopene), and flavonoids (such as

Pycnogenol and grape-seed extract) may also " reduce inflammation " and

CRP levels.

 

Finally, you can reduce CRP levels by losing weight. Fat cells,

particularly those that form around the belly, produce their own

CRP—which may be why obesity is a risk factor for heart disease.

 

Jack Challem is the author of The Inflammation Syndrome (John Wiley &

Sons, 2003). This article was originally published in GreatLife magazine

and is reprinted with permission of the author. © Jack Challem. For

additional information, visit www.inflammationsyndrome.com

 

 

References:

1. Ridker PM, Hennekens CH, Buring JE, et al. C-reactive protein and

other markers of inflammation in the prediction of cardiovascular

disease in women. New England Journal of Medicine, 2000;342: 836-843.

2. Buffon A, Biasucci LM, Liuzzo G, et al. Widespread coronary

inflammation in unstable angina. New England Journal of Medicine,

2002;347:5-12.

2. Liu S, Manson JE, Buring HE, et al. Relation between a diet with a

high glycemic load and plasma concentrations of high-sensitivity

C-reactive protein in middle-aged women. American Journal of Clinical

Nutrition, 2002;75:492-498.

4. Upritchard JE, Sutherland WHF, Mann JI. Effect of supplementation

with tomato juice, vitamin E, and vitamin C on LDL oxidation and

products of inflammatory activity in type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care,

2000, 23:733-738.

5. Devaraj S, Jialal I. Alpha tocopherol supplementation decreases serum

 

C-reactive protein and monocyte interleukin-6 levels in normal

volunteers and type 2 diabetic patients. Free Radical Biology &

Medicine, 2000; 29:790-792.

6. Edmonds SE, Yinyard PG, Guo R, et al. Putative analgesic activity of

repeated oral doses of vitamin E in the treatment of rheumatoid

arthritis. Results of a prospective placebo controlled double blind

trial. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, 1997;56:649-655.

7. Helmy M, Shohayeb M, Helmy MH, et al. Antioxidants as adjuvant

therapy in rheumatoid disease—a preliminary study.

Arzneimittel-Forschung/Drug Research, 2001;51:293-298.

8. Dwyer JH, Allayee H, Dwyer KM, et al. Arachidonate 5-lipoxygenase

promoter genotype, dietary arachidonic acid, and atherosclerosis. New

England Journal of Medicine, 2004;350:29-37.

9. Ernst E, Saradeth T, Achhammer G. n-3 fatty acids and acute-phase

proteins. European Journal of Clinical Investigation

 

Disclaimer

 

The information provided on this site, or linked sites, is provided for

informational purposes only, and should not be used as a substitute for

advice from your physician or other health care professional. Product

information contained herein has not necessarily been evaluated or

approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and is not intended

to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease.

_________________

JoAnn Guest

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DietaryTi-

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AIM Barleygreen

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