For years, heart disease has been associated most prominently with middle aged men. However, recent studies have put this myth to rest. Dr. Robert Beaglehole , WHO Director of Chronic Diseases and Health Promotion, states that "the old stereotype of cardiovascular diseases affecting only stressed, overweight, middle-aged men in developed countries no longer applies." In fact the burden has shifted from gender to economics-- men, women, even children are at risk because 80% of those at risk come from low and middle-income families where healthy dietary and lifestyle habits are difficult to maintain. The emphasis in heart disease risk factors has shifted away from genetic disposition to lifestyle and diets. What this means is that no one is immune from heart disease because of gender and age. What it also means is that everyone has the ability to prevent heart disease by initiating active lifestyle changes.
At the bottom of this shift in attitude is a new understanding of the mechanism behind heart disease. Recent research suggests that atherosclerosis resulting from elevated cholesterol levels in the blood is not the major contributor to heart problems as once thought because half of the people who have heart attacks have normal cholesterol levels. Moreover, improved imaging techniques show that plague formation is not as critical in coronary fatalities as once assumed.
The culprit behind coronary events is now understood to be inflammation. Blood tests that measure C-reactive proteins (CPR) as prediction of heart attack are receiving a great deal of attention these days because elevated levels of this protein indicate active inflammation of the arteries. In fact, studies have shown that healthy middle-aged men with the highest CPR levels were 3 times as likely to suffer a heart attack in the next 6 years than those with the lowest CPR levels.
Think of inflammation as a double-edged sword: it enables the body's immune system to defend itself against invading pathogens; if not turned off, it becomes the culprit that turns the body's immune system against itself. The aftereffects of this unnatural chronic inflammation is more and more viewed by researchers to be the underlying cause not only of coronary problems, but of diseases like Alzheimer's, cancer and diabetes.
What does this new shift in thinking mean in terms of prevention?
a) Dr. Andrew Weil In "Healthy Aging" suggests that diet influences inflammation and strongly proposes that we adopt an anti-inflammatory diet that is rich in omega-3, fish, phytonutrients and low in sugar, high-glycemic carbohydrates and red meat. Such a diet would also reduce excess body fat and obesity-both contributing factors towards diabetes and heart disease.
b) Moderate aerobic and strength-training exercises that tone the heart muscle and improve the elasticity of arteries are also recommended as exercise increases mood enhancing endorphins and reduces stress which can cause cardiac arrhythmias.
c) Stop Smoking. The risk of heart attack in smokers is more than double that of non-smokers.
d) Lower blood pressure with breathwork. Dr. David Anderson at the US National Institute of Health suggests that how we breathe may hold the key to how the body regulates blood pressure. Slow breathing not only elicits relaxation response but may also be able to break down the salt we eat. Excess salt is related to hypertension. Meditation and guided imagery visualization are all tools that expand on the use of breathwork.
e) New FDA regulation that requires nutrition labeling to clearly state how much trans fat a product contains will also do much to raise public consciousness of the perils of trans fat. At the same time, public campaigns to identify foods that lower LDL cholesterol are also underway. An example is the new cholesterol-lowering margarines that are fortified with plant sterols that block cholesterol absorption.
Heart disease is no longer the disease of overweight, highly stressed middle-aged men. All of us are empowered to view coronary problems as something we can change through lifestyle and dietary intervention. We can no longer hide behind the myth of "genetic" disposition or family history which unfortunately incapacitates us by indulging our excuse that we are victims of our physiology and that nothing can be done.
Listed below are more articles related to the above article from the "Heart Disease" article category.
People interested in the above article "Are Middle Aged Men More Prone to Heart Disease?" are also interested in the related articles listed below:
A cardiac diet is suggested by dieticians to patients who are at a higher risk of suffering from high blood pressure, heart problems and obesity. The diet is planned in way to make the heart healthy and to prevent any risk to heart. One of the major enemies of heart is bad cholesterol and unhealthy fats. Certain fat products are made from mono-saturated fat which helps in decreasing the level of bad cholesterol in human body and it is allowed in a cardiac diet.
High cholesterol is invisible dangers which can cause severe damage to human body and to measure high cholesterol doctors examine the level of HDL, LDL and triglyceride levels in body. The bad cholesterol or the LDL cholesterol accumulates in the inner walls of arteries and it can block the passage whereas the HDL cholesterol is helpful in preventing blockages.
Why hasn't this story about heart disease been told before? Once it has been told, why are not more people shouting in outrage at the doctors? It has been told, but it was hard to hear! The most likely reason you didn't hear it is because you have depended on your doctor for new medical information and your doctor so firmly believes the lies he has been told that he had no attention out in the market-place of ideas, looking for alternatives to drugs and surgery for heart problems.
Your flat world is made up of doctors and drug companies who tell you that you need this surgery or that drug to cure your ailments. You are bombarded with ads and non-commercial messages about the care of your body and the foods you should eat.
Ten years ago, medical tourism was hardly large enough to be noticed but nowadays Medical Tourism is fast becoming a worldwide, multibillion-dollar industry, whereby people from world over visit India for their medical and relaxation needs. Most common treatments are heart surgery, knee transplant, cosmetic surgery and dental care.
People living under a same roof, sharing their good and bad times with each other, love, affection, care and attachment all this make a one complete family. A family is a unit and the members of the family are like a part of each other, one feels pain, every other member feels it too regardless of the age difference. Younger or older they are so linked with each other that even a small problem can disturb the entire family.
As everyone knows, cholesterol as well as triglycerides is lipid forms as well as fats that are transported through the bloodstream to help the body perform its proper functions. As a matter of fact, without cholesterol the body would not be able to build cell membranes.
