Posts Tagged ‘low fat diet’

• Heart Attacks And How To Prevent Them

  Date: 2007.06.27 | Category: Heart Tips | Response: 0

  At one time, little could be done for people with heart disorders, and for those who suffered from a heart attack. Today, improved medicines and new methods of treatment allow many cardiac (heart) patients to live normal or nearly normal lives. Also, new kinds of equipment and new methods of performing heart operations have saved the lives of many people for whom there was formerly no hope.

  The arteries of older people may become hardened or narrowed. This may be serious if it happens in the coronary arteries, for the blood supply of the heart is cut down. Severe chest pain may result. A heart attack occurs if the heart muscle is deprived of its blood supply. The heart muscle may be permanently damaged and replaced with scar tissue. Most people who have heart attacks recover. They must rest for several weeks or more, but they can usually then lead normal lives.

  A heart whose muscle has been badly damaged cannot do a good job of pumping the blood. This condition is called heart failure. With this condition, fluid collects in some parts of the body, such as the lungs and ankles.

  Doctors have a large variety of medicines and other treatments for dealing with heart disorders. A drug named digitalis is given to strengthen weak heart muscles. Drugs called Diuretics help to rid the body of excess fluid by way of the kidneys.

  Diet is usually an important part of the treatment of cardiac patients. The doctor may prescribe a diet that is low in salt content. This is because fluids tend to collect in the body in the presence of salt. The heart must work harder to pump the extra fluids. The doctor often advises a patient to lose weight. The heart of an overweight patient must work harder to pump blood to the extra, unneeded body tissue. A low-fat diet may be prescribed because of a possible connection between fats and hardening of the arteries. Patients are also advised not to smoke. Smoking is a cause of serious lung diseases, and it also appears to increase the risk of getting some kinds of heart disease.

  The beating heart provides the pressure to move the blood along in the blood vessels. When the space within the smaller arteries is narrowed, as may happen in older people, the heard must push harder to make the blood move. This results in high blood pressure. Drugs are used that cause the arteries to relax and thus lower the blood pressure. Other drugs bring about a lowering of the pressure by their effect on the nerves that control the small arteries.

  The rate of the heartbeat is controlled by electrical impulses from the nervous system. These impulses set the pace for the heartbeat. Sometimes the impulses may cause an irregular beat or one that is too fast or too slow. Usually this is a temporary condition. If the problem is a serious one, an artificial pacemaker is set into the heart painlessly. The pacemaker is powered by a tiny battery that lasts for years. The life-saving pacemaker supplies electrical impulses to the heart, causing it to beat regularly and at a satisfactory rate.

  Medical and surgical skill have saved or prolonged millions of lives. But some hearts are so badly damaged that they cannot be repaired. The first heart transplant was performed in December 1967, and we’ve come a long way since then. Take care of yourself. Your family loves you.

  About the Author:

  More information on Heart Attack Prevention

  Written By: CP

• 6 Power Foods For Your Heart

  Date: 2007.03.24 | Category: Heart Tips | Response: 0

  Heart disease remains the number one cause of death in the United States for both men and women. Traditionally, a low fat diet has been the prescription for heart health which causes many people to shrink away at the thought of giving up their favorite foods. Although decreasing saturated fats is still an important step, there are many things you can add to your diet that can greatly improve your risk factors of heart disease. Here are 6 power foods you can start adding to your diet to keep you heart healthy.

  Nuts- Although nuts aren’t exactly low in calories or fat, they contain high levels of unsaturated fats that are known to lower “bad” LDL cholesterol levels in the blood and reduce the risk of heart disease. Studies have shown eating about one ounce of nuts every day can reduce the risk of heart disease by 30%.

  Soy- Using soy on a weekly basis is a great step towards protecting your heart due to its cholesterol lowering properties. If you are not a tofu fan, try soy milk or yogurt, garden burgers, edamme (soy beans), or soy sausage patties. There are all kinds of ways to include soy in your diet.

  Hot Cocoa- Yes you read right. Cocoa contains high levels of flavonoids which are a class of phytochemicals known to help prevent heart disease. Researchers have found that hot cocoa has more disease-fighting antioxidants than tea or red wine and the heat may help propel them into the bloodstream. Hot cocoa is also much lower in saturated fats than other chocolate sources such as candy bars.

  Beans and Lentils- including kidney beans, peas, black beans, etc. —are high in both soluble fiber and folic acid to help lower cholesterol and decrease homocysteine levels (high homocysteine levels are associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease). Add beans to your salads, soups, and rice dishes.

  Broccoli- A powerful antioxidant found in broccoli and broccoli sprouts may help protect the heart from high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke. A new study shows the compound, called glucoraphanin, helped improve heart health, fight inflammation, and boost natural defense systems against oxidative stress.

  Grape juice- The flavonoids in grape juice, like that in wine, have been shown to prevent the oxidation of so-called bad cholesterol (LDLs, or low-density lipoproteins) that leads to formation of plaque in artery walls. Grape juice can also lower the risk of developing the blood clots that lead to heart attacks.

  Start adding these foods today and begin your journey to better heart health.

  About the Author

  Owner of Real Living Nutrition Services, Meri Raffetto is a recognized professional in the area of nutrition and wellness. She specializes in weight management and cardiovascular nutrition and offers online programs to help people reach their health goals. For more information visit http://www.reallivingnutrition.com.

  Source:

  Written By: Meri Raffetto

• Congenital Heart Disease – A Conundrum

  Date: 2007.02.17 | Category: Heart Tips | Response: 0

  To reduce your chances of heart disease, you can eat a low fat diet high in Omega 3, take regular exercise, lose weight and do all those other things the doctors tell us BUT..

  Consider my family.

  Paternal Grandfather first heart attack in his fifties, eventually died of a stroke at the unripe age of 67.

  Maternal Grandfather first heart attack in his forties and died of a heart attack again aged 67.

  Father died very suddenly at the tender age of 65 you guessed it – from a massive heart attack having never shown any sign of heart trouble until that point.

  Mother suffered from acute angina since her late forties. She is now 60 and takes a cocktail of drugs daily to control the symptoms

  Maternal Uncle suffered a heart attack at the age of forty and has been effectively disabled ever since.

  Nothing I can do about any of these factors and yet hereditary factors are thought to play a significant part in the development of the disease. After the death of my father in 2002, I really began to question my lifestyle and turned into a health obsessed freak. The stress of this took my blood pressure to 140 over 90 and I was doing more harm to my body than good. I had to re-examine the whole situation.

  The big question is this: should I eat ultra sensibly, exercise rigorously, cut out the alcohol (fortunately I have not smoked for nearly 8 years) and eat my way through a forest of plant sterols and generally be miserable, or bow to the inevitable and enjoy whatever time I have left before my heart packs in?

  All the doctors and my head would say I should be sensible and do the former, whilst my heart(!) is telling me to live life to the full because as I know all too painfully due to the death of my father, that life is short and every minute should be savoured not wasted.

  Well the good news is this at the moment my blood pressure is normal, my cholesterol level is 4.8 (below 5 is considered good) and I take regular walks and play competitive sport every week at the ripe old age of 38 years. OK Im a few pounds heavier than I should be and I have a fairly stressful job. I will continue to ensure I am checked regularly (every 2 years is optimal I am told) by the doctors in the hope that any problem will be caught early and be treated, and perhaps I can approach the dreaded four-oh with optimism instead of dread.

  May anyone worried about hereditary heart disease take strength from these ramblings and stop stressing themselves (literally to death) by the worry of achieving the ultimate healthy lifestyle.

  Take heart! Be sensible not obsessive. Get checked regularly.

  About the Author

  Copyright 2005 Daniel Morris Beat-Heart-Disease.com
  
  This article is free please use it as you see fit in its entire form. Please email me at contact@health-info-online.com and let me know where it is being posted and be sure to use a live link to the web site. Thank you.

  Written By: Daniel Morris