The Promise Of Cardiovascular Health - What Went Wrong?
It has been over two decades now since the medical community proclaimed that heart disease would soon be thing of the past as the introduction of powerful new high cholesterol medications combined with an understanding of what causes heart attack, stroke, and artery disease allowed for better lifestyle choices. As we fast forward to today what becomes clear is that these promises have gone pretty much unfulfilled as heart disease is still the number one cause of death in the United States.
In some ways the statics defy logic as smoking has declined dramatically and the use of powerful statin medications have exploded, making them the number one most prescribed type of prescription medication. Additionally, our stores are filled with heart healthy options and public awareness has never been higher as to factors which could lead to cardiovascular disease.
So what might have gone wrong?
It is difficult to say why the promise for a dramatic reduction in heart attack deaths has gone unfulfilled but one would have to assume that the advice we are currently being given is flawed in some way. That is not to imply that all heart healthy advice is bad or that doctors aren't trying to do what is best for their patients. It is simply my way of saying that there has to be a flaw somewhere since the number aren't improving at the rate they should.
Most doctors would likely disagree with this saying that it is the public's fault for not following their advice more closely. From my perspective this is not the case as many of friends who have had heart attacks have done everything possible to avoid them.
Why don't we look at a four areas that are either overlooked or underemphasized in battle against heart attack, stroke, and atherosclerosis.
*Statin medications are the answer. Obviously this is not the case despite their undeniable ability to lower high cholesterol levels. Perhaps a recent research study by the NIH may have uncovered part of the reason why statins aren't living up to their billing as the drugs that were going to dramatically reduce the number of heart attack deaths. The study revealed that statin medications increase a person's chance for type 2 diabetes by 70 percent. As first this may not seem like such a big deal until you factor in that diabetes doubles a person's chance for heart attack while reducing energy levels thus making inactivity more probable.
*Diet. As many of you know that read my articles I am the guy at the grocery store that is always blocking the aisle while reading the labels trying to find the truth as to whether foods are really heart healthy or not. It can be confusing at beast and simply misleading at worst. Let me give you an example of what I mean.
Ground chicken with natural flavorings proudly proclaims on the front of the package that it has less than 50 percent of the fat, 180 calories, 2 grams of saturated fat, 95 mg of sodium, and 22 grams of protein. Initially it seem to be very heart healthy that is until you turn the package over and find out that this 16 oz package of ground chicken contains 14 percent fat and 28 percent cholesterol for each 4 ounce serving.
*Arterial inflammation. An ever-increasing amount of research is telling us that inflammation inside our arteries is primarily responsible for the formation of dangerous plaque deposits. Externally we just cover the wound and it heals fine but internally our immune system attacks the inflammation triggering a series of events that cause plaque formation. Some experts believe that if we could find a way to eliminate arterial inflammation we could wipe out heart disease. High antioxidant foods and omega 3 supplements hold promise for reducing arterial inflammation but more research needs to be done.
*Homocysteines. You may not have heard of this type of amino acid which occurs naturally in our bodies due to high protein consumption. That said, study after study confirms that this particular type of amino acid damages the arterial lining which in turn can contribute to heart and artery disease. The solution is a simply one, and that is to balance protein consumption with B12 consumption. Has your doctor mentioned this important cardiovascular fact to you?
In conclusion there seems to be no easy answer when it comes to reducing our chances for experiencing a heart attack or stroke. To make matters worse our hearts lose pumping power over time as our arteries lose their flexibility creating a difficult set of challenges to overcome as we age.
Additionally, for anyone concerned about, or prone to type 2 diabetes, talking to your doctor about a natural cholesterol lowering supplement as an alternative to statin medications could be a heart healthy option worth considering.
In some ways the statics defy logic as smoking has declined dramatically and the use of powerful statin medications have exploded, making them the number one most prescribed type of prescription medication. Additionally, our stores are filled with heart healthy options and public awareness has never been higher as to factors which could lead to cardiovascular disease.
So what might have gone wrong?
It is difficult to say why the promise for a dramatic reduction in heart attack deaths has gone unfulfilled but one would have to assume that the advice we are currently being given is flawed in some way. That is not to imply that all heart healthy advice is bad or that doctors aren't trying to do what is best for their patients. It is simply my way of saying that there has to be a flaw somewhere since the number aren't improving at the rate they should.
Most doctors would likely disagree with this saying that it is the public's fault for not following their advice more closely. From my perspective this is not the case as many of friends who have had heart attacks have done everything possible to avoid them.
Why don't we look at a four areas that are either overlooked or underemphasized in battle against heart attack, stroke, and atherosclerosis.
*Statin medications are the answer. Obviously this is not the case despite their undeniable ability to lower high cholesterol levels. Perhaps a recent research study by the NIH may have uncovered part of the reason why statins aren't living up to their billing as the drugs that were going to dramatically reduce the number of heart attack deaths. The study revealed that statin medications increase a person's chance for type 2 diabetes by 70 percent. As first this may not seem like such a big deal until you factor in that diabetes doubles a person's chance for heart attack while reducing energy levels thus making inactivity more probable.
*Diet. As many of you know that read my articles I am the guy at the grocery store that is always blocking the aisle while reading the labels trying to find the truth as to whether foods are really heart healthy or not. It can be confusing at beast and simply misleading at worst. Let me give you an example of what I mean.
Ground chicken with natural flavorings proudly proclaims on the front of the package that it has less than 50 percent of the fat, 180 calories, 2 grams of saturated fat, 95 mg of sodium, and 22 grams of protein. Initially it seem to be very heart healthy that is until you turn the package over and find out that this 16 oz package of ground chicken contains 14 percent fat and 28 percent cholesterol for each 4 ounce serving.
*Arterial inflammation. An ever-increasing amount of research is telling us that inflammation inside our arteries is primarily responsible for the formation of dangerous plaque deposits. Externally we just cover the wound and it heals fine but internally our immune system attacks the inflammation triggering a series of events that cause plaque formation. Some experts believe that if we could find a way to eliminate arterial inflammation we could wipe out heart disease. High antioxidant foods and omega 3 supplements hold promise for reducing arterial inflammation but more research needs to be done.
*Homocysteines. You may not have heard of this type of amino acid which occurs naturally in our bodies due to high protein consumption. That said, study after study confirms that this particular type of amino acid damages the arterial lining which in turn can contribute to heart and artery disease. The solution is a simply one, and that is to balance protein consumption with B12 consumption. Has your doctor mentioned this important cardiovascular fact to you?
In conclusion there seems to be no easy answer when it comes to reducing our chances for experiencing a heart attack or stroke. To make matters worse our hearts lose pumping power over time as our arteries lose their flexibility creating a difficult set of challenges to overcome as we age.
Additionally, for anyone concerned about, or prone to type 2 diabetes, talking to your doctor about a natural cholesterol lowering supplement as an alternative to statin medications could be a heart healthy option worth considering.