Prevention & Screening

You CAN Have a Future Without Heart Disease

Heart disease afflicts more people than any other ailment. It is more common than all cancers combined. For example, breast cancer is the cause of death in 1 out 25 postmenopausal women; however, one of every two women has heart disease.

The good news is that the last 40 years have seen a 40 percent reduction in mortality from heart disease. Prevention plays a key role in this achievement. Diet and lifestyle modification are critical to the prevention and successful treatment of atherosclerotic vascular disease. The risk factors for heart disease are: smoking, hypertension, elevated cholesterol, diabetes, obesity, and physical inactivity. Lifestyle and diet modification can help provide a future free of heart disease for all of us.

A look at one risk factor, cholesterol, shows how prevention can work. For every 1percent reduction in total cholesterol, the risk of developing heart disease is reduced by 2 percent. Ideally, LDL, or "bad" cholesterol, should be less than 100, and HDL, or "good" cholesterol, should be more than 55. Exercise, eating seafood, and smoking cessation will increase HDL levels. Soy products also may help; they reduce cholesterol by 10 percent by decreasing its absorption into the bloodstream and stimulating thyroid hormone production.

Eat Healthy, Drink Tea

Diet also is important. The Mediterranean diet has become increasingly popular as a heart-healthy way of eating. Olive oil and whole grain bread, which characterize the Mediterranean diet, can account for up to 50 to 60 percent of total calories. In addition, this diet is rich in beans, fresh fruits, and vegetables. Much of the fat from this diet is from olive oil, a monosaturated fat that appears to raise the level of HDL, or "good" cholesterol.

Fish is another heart-healthy food. A recent study achieved a 44 percent reduction in cardiac events by increasing the amount of fish in the diet. Fish highest in omega-3 fatty acids, which have been shown to be benefical, include mackerel, herring, sardines, salmon, and tuna. Animal fats such as butter and are not recommended; suggestions for replacing them include: using a spread made from olive oil instead of butter; snacking on hazelnut instead of cheese; using only olive oil or canola oil in cooking; adding avocado to salads; and eating more garlic, which lowers blood pressure and thins the blood.

Vitamins are important also. Folic acid and vitamins B6 and B12 reduce level of homocystein, an amino acid that increases plaque formation in the heart. Some 30 percent of the population has abnormally elevated homocystein levels. The properties of some other nutritional supplements that have been in the news, including selenium , vitamin E, Coenzyme Q-10, l-carnitine, magnesium, and garlic, are still being studied for their ability to reduce the risk of heart disease.

A recent study published in Circulation, a highly respected medical journal, showed the benefits of tea. Both in the short term and over a long period, drinking tea improved blood flow in the arteries of study subjects. The study results even suggest that tea restored normal artery function in the patients with known coronary heart disease. Tea has long been known to contain antioxidant flavonoids, which are also found in apples, broccoli, onions, and red wine. These scavengers of oxidation may inhibit damaging effects to artery walls that lead to plaque formation and impaired artery function.

Make Time to Exercise

Be sure to make exercise part of your daily routine. Regular exercise promotes a healthy weight, lowered blood pressure, increased HDL, and a reduced risk of developing adult onset diabetes. Regular exercise lowers LDL, (bad cholesterol), and raises HDL (good cholesterol). Before starting an exercise program or enrolling in a gym, check with your doctor. If possible, choose an exercise buddy, and remember to start with an activity that is comfortable for you and build strength gradually. In other words, use common sense, and don't run the marathon the first day!

Short segments of exercise throughout the day are equally beneficial to one long exercise session. Combining exercise with relaxation techniques like yoga, tai chi, or qi gong will especially help people with stressful jobs. The combination of a Type A personality plus emotional stress may place these people as much as four times more at risk for heart disease than others.

Warning signs of heart disease include: discomfort in the chest; shoulder or jaw pain or pressure; shortness of breath; sweating; or fainting. However, 25 percent of all heart attacks are silent, meaning that they have no symptoms at all. Unlike the lottery, heart disease is not random: the more risk factors you have, the more likely that you will develop heart disease. Additionally, heart disease does not crop up overnight: it usually takes many decades to develop. If you are at risk because of lifestyle or diet, make an appointment with your physician for screening. Tests for heart disease include blood tests and, if recommended, stress testing or an EKG.

Most important: you can lower your risk and prevent heart disease from developing or progressing. I wish you a future free from heart disease.