Heartsavers - Introduction
There is still much discussion about which cause of CHD
is the most important, but the main thing is to live a healthy and happy life.
An explanation of the causes.
The causes of heart disease
Atherosclerosis is the name given to the build up of fatty deposits or plaque on the walls of the arteries. The process is very gradual taking many decades and often beginning in childhood. Angina pains do not usually occur until the coronary arteries are about 70% blocked. These blockages form when the lining of the artery walls are damaged. The body responds by covering the damaged area with a layer of cholesterol and collagen. If the damage to the artery walls is constant these fatty layers begin to build up and lead to blockages.
The major causes of damage to the artery walls are:
High Blood Cholesterol Levels
Not only does cholesterol provide the building blocks for the fatty plaque, high cholesterol levels also injure the walls of the arteries. One cause of high blood cholesterol is excessive fat consumption, particularly animal and dairy fat, combined with lack of fibre in the diet. Your body makes all the cholesterol it needs and you do not need to consume any in the diet. In many parts of the world where a low fat, high fibre diet is normal, coronary heart disease is virtually unknown. It's a disease that mainly affects the affluent western world.
High Blood Pressure
High blood pressure (hypertension) also damages the artery walls and leads to coronary blockages as described above. A vicious circle is created, the greater the coronary blockages, the higher the blood pressure. (It's rather like a garden hose, where the water pressure increases as the nozzle gets smaller). Comprehensive lifestyle changes are needed to reduce blood pressure. One area of this is worth mentioning in particular. The Sodium-Potassium balance is all wrong in the typical western diet. We need to reduce sodium intake (salt) by substantially reducing our consumption of meat and processed foods and increase our consumption of potassium by eating more fresh fruit, vegetables, legumes and cereals.
Smoking
The nicotine and other poisonous chemicals in tobacco enter the blood stream and damage the artery wall. Smoking also increases blood pressure. Fortunately there is a cure available. Stop Smoking.
Thrombosis
Thrombosis is the medical term for a blood clot. A vital function of the blood is for the blood to form a clot to stop us bleeding when injured. The blood is prevented from clotting at the wrong time by the presence in the blood stream of natural anti-coagulants to thin the blood. However when the artery walls are damaged a clot can form on the lining of the artery causing it to become completely blocked. If this happens in the coronary arteries a heart attack is the result.