Alcohol & Arteriosclerosis

Alcohol readily changes into saturated fat in the human body and can cause the amount of fat in the blood to double (4) . It is hardly surprising then that people who drink a lot of alcohol often have high blood fats.

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Coffee & Arteriosclerosis

A report in Food Nutrition News suggested that those people who drink 5 or more cups of coffee a day are more likely to develop cardiovascular disease. (5)

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Lecithin & Arteriosclerosis

Protects against arterial damage by breaking up fatty deposits. One ounce of lecithin per day has been shown to effectively reduce blood cholesterol levels. (7)

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Vitamin E & Arteriosclerosis

Vitamin E reduces the body's requirement of oxygen and thereby helps the heart to function when less oxygen is reaching it through narrowed arteries. Dr. Wilfrid E Shute, Cardiologist at the Shute Foundation for medical Research in Canada believes vitamin E is a safe remedy even for angina pectoris. He has stated "that vitamin E will save lives from myocardial infarction and from heart failure must now be accepted by all physicians."

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Vitamin C & Arteriosclerosis

Studies have shown that high levels of vitamin C can reduce blood cholesterol levels (8) . Blood vessels require vitamin C to stay healthy and a deficiency is commonly seen in patients admitted to hospital with CHD. One of the largest studies ever done on coronary artery disease (CAD) and angina took place in Scotland where there is a very high rate of CAD. Over 6,000 men between the ages of 35 and 54 were monitored and researchers found that those with low levels of vitamins C & E had a significantly greater risk of CAD & angina (9) .

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Cadmium & Arteriosclerosis

Cadmium is a toxic metal and autopsy examinations of stroke victims carried out at the University of Tennessee by Dr Isabel Tipton(10) revealed high cadmium levels in their bodies. Interestingly, vitamin C helps the body eliminate this metal.

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Vitamin B & Arteriosclerosis

A lack of vitamin B (and in particular vitamin B6) has been shown to lead to artery damage and in Nutrition Against Disease, Roger J Williams states that a sufficiency of vitamin B complex has a high priority in preventing arterial disease.

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Folic Acid & Arteriosclerosis

When given to patients with hardened arteries, folic acid was found to dilate the smaller arteries and enable them to carry additional blood. This takes pressure off other clogged arteries.

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Fibre & Arteriosclerosis

Fibre reduces absorbtion of cholesterol from foods and increases the elimination of bile acids. Long term studies of over 300 middle aged men revealed that those eating the most fibre had the lowest incidence of cardiovascular disease. (11) One kind of fibre is called pectin which is commonly found in fruits and sunflower seeds. Pectin has been shown to lower blood cholesterol levels and increase the amount of cholesterol eliminated from the body. (12)

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Magnesium & Arteriosclerosis

Patients with coronary heart disease were, in one study, given magnesium injections which produced dramatic clinical improvements including normalising blood fat levels. (13) Foods rich in magnesium include: green vegetables, wholegrains, nuts and yeast extracts.

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Vegetarian diet & Arteriosclerosis

Most medical authorities agree that meat is to be avoided in all cases of cardiovascular disease. This is because meat is high in saturated fat and cholesterol. In fact the evidence is now irrefutable; one study in 1985 at the University of Leiden in the Netherlands showed that a vegetarian diet could halt and even reverse the build up of plaque on the artery walls (atherosclerosis).(14) Then in 1990 scientists proved that a vegetarian diet alone (without any drugs) could regress coronary heart disease. The study was carefully controlled, an experimental group of patients matched with a control group. The experimental group were given a low fat vegetarian diet consisting of fruits, vegetables, legumes and soya products although they were not restricted in amount or calories. After one year, nearly 90% of those in the experimental group had reduced the size of arterial blockages and increased the blood flow to the heart whereas those in the control group (who had not been eating a vegetarian diet) had worsened.(15)

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Exercise & Arteriosclerosis

This is vital for general health and especially important for the cardio-vascular system. In fact, people who do not regularly exercise are three times more likely to die from cardiovascular disease than those who do. (16)

It is therefore apparent that diet, nutrition and lifestyle should be considered not only in the prevention of CHD but also in remedial treatment. In fact, one study involving nearly 4,000 male volunteers between the ages of 35 and 59, conducted over a period of 7 years revealed that moderate exercise and a low cholesterol diet was an effective means to help reduce the incidence of CAD and atherosclerosis. (17)

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Fish Oils & Arteriosclerosis

Fish oils are also known to thin the blood and have been prescribed to help patients with CAD. However, in a recent study with adolescents, over 80% of the group taking fish oil supplements had nose bleeds while taking the oil (18) . Furthermore, it is interesting to note that the same research supposed to demonstrate that fish oil lowers the incidence of heart disease in Eskimos, revealed that Eskimos were in fact dying in greater numbers from cerebrovascular haemorrhages (strokes).

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Omega-3 fatty Acids & Arteriosclerosis

Research into the Omega-3 Fatty Acids has revealed that they can help in the treatment and prevention of CAD and angina (19). Omega-3 fatty acids are found in flaxseed (linseed), cold-pressed olive oil and oil of evening primrose. Flaxseed actually contains over twice the amount of Omega-3 essential fatty acids than fish.

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Footnotes: