Peripheral
Arterial Disease
Research: Diet & Lifestyle
Apart from the importance of diet in
our general health and well-being, research is now confirming that
specific nutrients and dietary practices are very much associated with
peripheral arterial disease.
Sugar
Everyone
knows that sugar rots the teeth, but ever since 1957 (1) it has been
connected with arterial disease and heart attacks. This may be due to the
fact that high sugar consumption makes you fat and obesity makes you more
vulnerable to heart disease. However, when sugar is added to an already
high fat diet, the blood cholesterol rises even faster.
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Salt
Excess
salt can lead to high blood pressure and, as a result, lead to arterial
disease.(2)
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Animal
fat & cholesterol
Epidemiogical
studies have shown that for every 1% drop in blood cholesterol, there is a
2% drop in the risk of cardiovascular disease.(3) Therefore all foods
which are high in saturated fas and cholesterol (eg. meats, cheeses,
cream, butter, chocolates and fried foods) should be reduced or avoided.
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Alcohol
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
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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Tobacco
Smoking
constricts the blood vessels and actaully causes arteriosclerosis (see
above). It is for this reason that smokers are more than 5 times more
likely to die of cardiovascular disease than non-smokers. (6)
Interestingly, according to Professor Julian Peto of the Institute of
Cancer Research, half of all smokers only give up after they have
cardiovascular disease.
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Lecithin
Lecithin
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
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 for peripheral arterial
disease when caused by narrowing or blockages in the arteries. He has
stated "that vitamin E will save lives... must now be accepted by all
physicians."
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Vitamin
C
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Exercise 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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Avoid
Fish Oils
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
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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Garlic
and Onions
Many studies have been produced confirming that garlic, and indeed onions,
protect against high blood fat levels (including cholesterol), associated
and cardio-vascular disease. In his book "Superfoods"(Dorling
& Kindersley) Naturopath Michael Van Straten states "In affairs
of the heart, garlic has been shown to act as anit-coagulant to lower
blood pressure and lower cholesterol levels. Onions share many of the
therapeutic powers of garlic - though sometimes to a lesser extent."
Researchers discovered many years
ago that garlic tincture causes a significant drop in cholesterol levels
and blood pressure. Consistent reductions were acheived in all 80 patients
treated with garlic. (19)
References:
(1) Prof. John Yudkin - The Lancet
2:155,1957
(2) S D Talbott et al Int. Med 54,257, 1961
(3) P Cox & P Brusseau -The Quick Cholesterol Clean-out (Century)
(4) E T Gale et al Geriatrics 8,80,1953
(5) O Paul Food Nutrition News 351,1,1964
(6) The Food & Health of Western Man - J L Mount (Precision Press)
1979
(7) L.M. Morrison - Geriatrics 13:12,1958.
(8) B Sokoloff et al, J Am Geriatrics Soc 1966,14:1239
(9) Liz earle's ACE Plan (Boxtree)
(10) Janet Pleshette - Health on your Plate (Hamlyn)
(11) BMJ 19/11/77
(12) D. H. Fisher, Med World News 14/5/65, 6,86
(13)I Bersohn & PJ Oelofse Lancet 1:1020, 1957
(14) Arntzenius AC et al 'Vegetarians have higher plasma alpha-tocopherol
relative to cholesterol than do non vegetarians' New Eng J of Med 28 Mar
1985 312 (13) pp805-11
(15) Ornish D et al 'Can lifestyle changes reverse coronary heart disease
The Lifestyle Heart Trial' Lancet 21 Jul 1990 336 (8708) pp129-133
(16) Dr Lars Ekeland, University of North carolina, New Eng. J med
15/11/88
(17) Potential for altered nutritional status in the stroke patient.Buelow
JM; Jamieson D Rehabil
Nurs Sep-Oct 1990, 15 (5) p260-3
(18) [The effect of a diet enriched with omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty
acids on thrombocyte functional activity and on the blood lipid-apolipoprotein
spectrum in newly occurring stenocardia] Vliianie diety, obogashchennoi
omega-3 polinenasyshchennymi zhirnymi kislotami, na funktsional'nuiu
aktivnost' trombotsitov i lipidno-apolipoproteinovyi spektr krovi pri
vpervye voznikshei stenokardii Kalinkina OM; Perova NV; Zykova VP;
Gratsianskii NA; Mel'kina OE; Sokolova MA; Oganov RG Ter Arkh 1990, 62 (9)
p77-83
(19) Bull. Soc. Med. 1921, 37, 1032
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