The Cause of Heart Disease

David Cowley

If both of your parents and your grandparents suffered from hear disease then you may think you are also doomed to suffer from heart disease. There is good news, heredity can be a cause of heart disease, it is but one factor among may factors that must be taken into account when assessing your risk for heart disease. One recent study found that heredity accounts for less than 10 percent of a person's risk for developing heart disease.

That leaves the other 90 percent of the heart disease causing factors that you may be able to do something about. If you are at risk because of heredity factor then modifying your life style and taking certain precautions could substantially reduce your risk of developing heart disease.

Doctors cannot agree on the number one cause of heart disease, so you will have to evaluate the evidence yourself and determine your own risk/reward ratio. Smoking, obesity, and high cholesterol are usually in the forefront of any study.

The chemicals in cigarettes can damage artery walls, thereby making it easier for cholesterol deposits to build blood-blocking deposits on the artery walls. Smoking also makes platelets, the component of blood that causes clotting and carries oxygen, to be more active, thus increasing the risks of blood clots that cause heart attacks and storks.

A body needs cholesterol and can actually produce all it needs, so when we ingest foods high in cholesterols, like dairy and meat products, our bodies get a lot more cholesterol than they need. The body saves cholesterol instead of excreting it, and that cholesterol gets stored along the walls of the arteries. Too many cholesterol deposits lead to artery blockage and clots.

Having a large numbers of large HDL particles correlates with better health and it is commonly called "good cholesterol". Having a large number of LDL particles in the blood is commonly called "bad cholesterol". However, as today's testing methods determine LDL ("bad") and HDL ("good") cholesterol separately, this simplistic view has become somewhat outdated.

High blood pressure is also thought to be a major cause of heart disease. Give this a try. Plug you nose and breath through you mouth. No problem right? Now put something about the size of a garden hose in you mount and breath through that. It is harder to get enough oxygen but it is still not unreasonable. Not try breathing through a straw. You will not be able to do this for every long before you have to give up.

Your arteries are narrowed because of all that cholesterol stored on the walls of the arteries. But your body needs the same amount of oxygen that is supplied by the blood that is always has. Your heart has to pump harder and faster to give the body what it needs. As you arteries become narrower and narrower your heat has to work harder and harder. Sooner or later something has got to give.

Obesity is another factor that can cause heart disease. Often obesity comes with high cholesterol and high blood pressure, which can increase the risk of heart disease and stroke. Since there are more areas that need blood because of the increased size of someone suffering from obesity the heart must work harder to supply the needs of the body.

Stress is also associated with heart disease. But unless your parents are stressing you out enough to cause a heart attack, they are not the cause of heart disease.

Common Vitamins and over the counter products can help with Heart Disease such as Vitamin C, Lecithin, Pectin, Garlic, EPA, Niacin and Phytosterols.

Vitamin C has been shown to combat the development of cholesterol deposits in the arteries. Within a few hours after receiving vitamin C patients showed a sharp decline in the cholesterol levels of the blood.

Lecithin has the potential to protect against fat clogged arteries when take daily.

Pectin limits the amount of cholesterol the body can absorb. High pectin count in apples may be why "One a day keeps the doctor away".

Garlic counteracts the usual result of high fats in the diet and to help reduce high blood pressure.

Studies of the Greenland Eskimos lack of heart attacks have show that Eico-Sapentaenoic Acid (EPA) lowers blood cholesterol considerably, even more than polyunsaturated fat does. It also triggers a major drop in triglycerides. Salmon Oil is one of the best-known sources of natural EPA.

Niacin is the closest thing available to a perfect treatment that corrects most causes of coronary heart disease. Niacin blocks the release of fatty acids from fat cells. Niacin plays a critical role in energy production, gene expression, and hormone synthesis. You cannot live without it. Niacin also tends to shift LDL particle distribution to larger particle size and improve HDL functioning. The intake of 3 grams Niacin for as little as two weeks can reduce serum cholesterol by 26 percent.

Phytosterols is found in flax seed and peanuts, which are suggested to help lower serum cholesterol.

If you are at risk of developing heart disease then find a good health care professional prior to starting any type of home treatment.

Always consult your doctor before using this information.

This Article is nutritional in nature and is not to be construed as medical advice.