According to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, each year more than half a million men and women will die from a heart attack, based on coronary artery disease (CAD). For men, their risk increases after the age of 45. Women are at a slightly lower risk until 55. However, if there is a risk of heart disease in your family, the chances for anyone at any age increase dramatically. The good news is that there is a lot you can do to reduce your changes for coronary artery disease through changes in your diet and lifestyle.
A Brief Anatomy of the Heart
The heart is nothing more than a four-chambered pump that distributes blood throughout the body. Many organs like the brain can only withstand several minutes without blood circulation before permanent damage is done to their surrounding tissues. Despite the fact that the heart pumps over five liters of blood throughout the body per minute, it depends on its own circulation: the coronary arteries.
There are two main coronary arteries--the right coronary artery that branches into to the right marginal and posterior descending arteries and the left main coronary artery that branches into the circumflex and left anterior descending. Each of the arteries supplies specific areas of the heart. In certain cases, when coronary artery disease has been developing over the course of years, the coronary arteries can develop collateral circulation, or small arterioles that bypass an obstructed area.
Risk Factors for CAD
Even though the first symptoms of CAD don't appear until middle age, coronary artery disease begins as early as one's 20s. How quickly it progresses depends on diet, lifestyle, activity and a number of other risk factors. Risk factors that accelerate CAD include obesity, diabetes, sedentary lifestyle, cigarette smoking, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Many of these risk factors are called silent killers because they have no symptoms--you many not even know you have them until you have a physical examination by your physician. The good news is that all of them are treatable through either changes in lifestyle or medications.
How CAD Progresses
The body produces several forms of cholesterol that play important roles in how your body functions. One type, low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), builds cell walls, regulates fluids and produces a number of important hormones. Unfortunately, excess LDL in the bloodstream can also accumulate along the inside lining of the coronary arteries, eventually causing coronary artery disease. The normal value for LDL cholesterol is 140 mg/dl or less. If enough LDL is allowed to accumulate inside the arteries, it can completely occlude the blood supply to certain areas of the heart, causing a heart attack. If the symptoms come on slowly, you may experience angina pectoris--a diminished blood flow, but not a complete loss.
HDL Cholesterol
High density lipoprotein (HDL) is often called the good type cholesterol because it reduces the effects of LDL cholesterol by carrying them out of the body before they've had a chance to accumulate on the inside of the coronary artery walls. To minimize your threat of heart coronary artery disease, you'll want to keep your LDL levels low, while keeping your HDL levels high. Optimal levels of HDL cholesterol is greater than 45 mg/dl for men and 55 mg/dl for women.
Reducing Your Risk Factors for CAD
With the exception of familial history, you can successfully manage all of your risk factors for coronary artery disease. If you're overweight, make a plan with your physician and a register dietitian to lose weight. About one to two pounds a week is a good goal to start with. Generally speaking, men's waistline measurement should be less than 40 inches. Women's should be less than 35.
If you have diabetes, take steps to manage your blood glucose levels. The normal levels are between 70 to 110 mg/dl. If you're having problems regulating your blood glucose, check with your physician. He may need to make changes to to your diet, exercise program, medications or all of them.
Reserve 30 to 60 minutes out of your day to get outside and walk or choose some other form or aerobic exercise that uses large muscle groups and can be sustained over time. According to the exercise guidelines for healthy adults under the age of 65 published by the American College of Sports Medicine, all adults should get at least 30 minutes of exercise a day to maintain fitness and reduce weight. If you're short on time, you can even break it into two sessions. The important thing is to get out there and do it.
If you smoke cigarettes, quit. Cigarette smoke contains nicotine, carbon monoxide and hundreds of other toxic chemicals that can damage the inside of your coronary arteries and accelerate the disease process. If you've tried to quit on your own and haven't been successful, check with your local American Lung Association office for help with quitting smoking.
High blood pressure is another silent disease because you can have it for years before knowing you have a problem. Over 73 million Americans have hypertension that can be managed through a combination of diet, exercise and medication. If not treated, in addition to causing coronary artery disease, it can also cause kidney failure or a stroke.
In most cases, high cholesterol can be managed by eating a heart healthy diet that includes fruits, vegetables, and foods that are low in saturated and trans-fats. Adding supplements like niacin and omega-3 fatty acids have also been found to optimize your blood cholesterol levels by lowering your LDL and raising your HDL.
