Coronary artery disease, also called coronary heart disease, affects 6.6 to 7.8 percent of adult women and 5.3 to 9.4 percent of men in the United States according to estimates by the American Heart Association. The condition can be caused by hardening of the arteries, related to high cholesterol or by inflammation of the arteries. The inflammatory form is associated with chronic infections and abdominal obesity.
Eating Patterns and Atherosclerotic Coronary Heart Disease
Certain eating patterns are associated with a high risk of atherosclerotic coronary artery disease. These include diets high in saturated fat and those that cause rapid weight gain at any point in life. A diet that raises low density lipoprotein, or LDL-cholesterol, and fails to support a healthy level of high density lipoprotein, or HDL-cholesterol, leads to excessive fats dissolved in blood. These fats attach to the wall of the artery and cause it to harden, restricting blood flow to the heart.
Eating Patterns Associated with Inflammatory Coronary Heart Disease
Inflammatory coronary artery disease begins inside the arterial walls. Chronic infections and irritation occurring anywhere in the body can cause inflammation, and so can high levels of glucose in the blood. Insulin resistance, which can be caused by yo-yo dieting or diabetes, both increase the risk of CAD, according to research at the University of Michigan, and diets with excessive amounts of omega-6 fatty acids are thought to contribute significantly to this increasingly common risk for heart attack.
Gingivitis and other infections that live chronically in the body lead directly to inflammation, and foods high in sugar and fat are thought to support chronic infections by weakening the immune system.
Artery-healthy Foods
Foods that lower LDL cholesterol while helping your HDL level remain high include oatmeal, fresh fruit with the peels, soy products and walnuts. Sources of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids include avocados, olive oil and cold-water, oily fish such as salmon, tuna, halibut or lake trout, which the Mayo Clinic suggests eating at least twice a week.
Sample Menu for Arterial Health
When you're ready to take charge of healing your arteries, start the day with a cup of steel-cut oatmeal and soy milk mixed with sliced banana and a few tablespoons of walnut chips. Have an apple with walnut butter for lunch, and add a salad made of arugula and baby spinach leaves tossed with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Enjoy a dinner entree of 3 oz. grilled wild salmon accompanied by 1/3 cup of brown rice pasta tossed with sauteed kale, red peppers and garlic.
To restore the healthy bacteria in your colon, which helps to prevent many chronic infections, end the day with a cup of active-culture yogurt or a glass of kefir, a yogurt-like drink.
Considerations
Abdominal obesity, defined as a waist circumference of 35 inches or more for women and greater than 40 inches for men, leads to coronary artery disease because it causes chronic inflammation in the body. Reducing your waist below those targets, together with lowering your weight to a healthy body mass index of less than 25 are two ways to reduce the damage your arteries must endure. This is especially important if you have a history suggesting that coronary artery disease has already taken place.
Take charge of your weight and waist through portion control, careful food selection and exercising 60 to 90 minutes each day. It may not eliminate your heart attack risk, but it will be reduced.
