How to Prevent & Reverse Heart Disease

What is heart disease?

To most people, heart disease is clogged arteries. Period. And the problem with clogged arteries is that they can cut off blood flow to the heart triggering a heart attack, which will then result in the need for bypass surgery. To a point, there is some truth here, and this is one of the main aspects of heart disease we will be discussing. It’s called CAD or coronary artery disease. It’s also called atherosclerosis, which refers to the build up of plaque which clogs the arteries. There is a similar term, called arteriosclerosis which refers to hardening of the arteries. When arteries harden and lose their flexibility, they may be more prone to cracks or injuries that can trigger the body to lay down its version of spackle (or joint compound) to prevent additional injury. Hardened arteries may be more prone to plaque build up.

There are many different kinds of heart disease, with many different causes. Throughout this section, unless otherwise specified, when we refer to heart disease we will be talking about atherosclerosis, or clogged arteries.

What causes heart disease?

The traditional view of heart disease is that it is the result of consuming too many foods high in saturated fat and cholesterol, such as meat, cheese and eggs. This hypothesis has been around since the 1950s based largely on epidemiological studies done between 1955 & 1965.

One such study, done by Ancel Keyes, looked at the relationship between fat intake and heart disease in seven different countries. Dr. Keyes found that in the countries where fat intake was low – such as Japan – so was the incidence of heart disease. In contrast, in countries where fat intake was high – such as the United States or Great Britain – the incidence of heart disease was also high. In 1961, based on Dr. Keyes’ research, the American Heart Association officially recommended that we decrease consumption of saturated fats and cholesterol in order to protect ourselves from heart disease.

The theory that fat causes heart disease has been the reigning piece of heart-health propaganda since that time. But can you think of a flaw in Dr. Keyes’ research that might suggest a different truth?

How many countries are there on this planet? I promise you there are more than seven. Dr. Keyes research is flawed because he selected those countries that supported his hypothesis. There are many countries with a high fat intake and a low incidence of heart disease. What about the French paradox? In France fat intake is high, yet compared to the US the French have a lower incidence of heart disease. The Masai of Africa? . Their diet high in meat and fat yet their arteries are remarkably clean. What about the Aboriginal Eskimo? The Aboriginal Eskimo had a diet that is nearly 70% fat, yet their incidence of heart disease is low.

Additional risk factors for heart disease -  according to the traditional view – include: smoking, inactivity, obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and genetics.

An Alternative view of what causes heart disease:

The following factors may contribute to heart disease independently of each other, or they may work in unison.

Vitamin C is needed by the body to make collagen or connective tissue. When we are deficient in vitamin C our ability to make collagen is impaired. We may notice spontaneous bruises, bleeding gums, etc. Now, if a small blood vessel in your hand ruptures and you bruise as a result, it’s no big deal. But what if the blood vessel that comes unglued is a major artery that carries blood to your heart? Rupturing your aorta is not an option. The body in its wisdom always has a backup mechanism. It will lay down a patch to plug the crack. One of the current working hypotheses is that a substance called lipoprotein (a) ­ (pronounced: "lipoprotein little a") ­ is the body’s version of joint compound or spackle.  As vitamin C levels in the body drop, levels of lipoprotein (a) increase. If a major artery begins to crack the body quickly patches the injury, and in doing so creates a starting point for plaque buildup and atherosclerosis.

Other substances – like platelets – rush to the point of injury also, and become incorporated into the scab-like patch.

Stress increases risk of heart disease through a variety of mechanisms:

1. Under stress the adrenal glands release adrenaline (epinephrine) which increases blood pressure and causes the heart to beat faster and harder.
2. Adrenaline enhances blood coagulation. (Your blood will clot faster.) If you are injured this is a good thing. You are less apt to bleed to death. But if you are under chronic stress this is a bad thing. You are more at risk for a blood clot leading to heart attack or stroke.
3. The adrenal glands also produce aldosterone which causes sodium and water retention. This serves to increase blood volume and helps to prevent dehydration. During a physical emergency, this is a good thing. Under chronic stress additional fluid in circulation means higher blood pressure and more work for your heart.
4. The production of stress hormones uses up vitamin C. Since vitamin C is needed to make collagen (AKA connective tissue) stress can lead to a relative loss of connective tissue resulting in bleeding gums, bruising, ulcers, or even stroke. If the loss of connective tissue is occurring in major blood vessels going to the heart, the body will take corrective measures resulting in the initiation of atherosclerosis.
5. The lack of vitamin C also increases risk of infection. (Colds, flu, etc.)
6. Under stress the adrenal glands produce cortisol. Cortisol makes you resistant to insulin. Meaning: Whatever insulin is floating around in your blood stream at the moment, it no longer works normally. Explanation: The primary purpose of cortisol during a stress reaction is to make sure you have adequate fuel available. The underlying assumption is that if you are out in the woods running from a bear you are not going to have time to stop for a turkey sandwich. At any given moment you only have a couple of teaspoons of glucose available in your blood. In a physical emergency it would be pulled from circulation quite quickly, leaving you in hypoglycemic shock. Not an option. Insulin resistance serves to conserve the glucose in your blood for use by your brain, but it also increases your blood pressure.
   Now, if your muscles are not being allowed to use glucose they must be given an alternative fuel to work with. Cortisol triggers the breakdown and release of fat from your fat cells. Now your muscles have an alternate supply of fuel. But we are still stuck with the problem of a limited supply of blood glucose. Since the brain by itself can use 600 calories of glucose per day just for thinking, the body needs a source of glucose. No problem. Cortisol triggers the breakdown of muscle tissue. The amino acids released are carried to the liver and converted into glucose in a process known as gluconeogenesis. (Gluco-neo-genesis = the product of new glucose from non carbohydrate sources.)
7. Stress can cause a magnesium deficiency, which can increase blood pressure and put you more at risk for arrhythmia. Explanation: When we experience a stress reaction we do something called bracing. Our muscles tense or brace in preparation for fight or flight. When muscles contract it is the mineral calcium that enables the contraction to occur, and it is the mineral magnesium that allows the muscle to relax again after the contraction. At the time of contraction magnesium shifts out of muscle cells into circulation. If you were to immediately relax magnesium would be pulled back inside the cell. But if you walk around with your muscles in a state of contraction, magnesium not only is pulled out of cells it is flushed out in urine. The resulting magnesium deficiency can trigger muscle spasms, twitching and arrhythmia, and hypertension.
8. Two additional hormones released during a stress reaction are vasopressin (AKA anti-diuretic hormone or ADH) and oxytocin. Both of these hormones increase blood pressure. Anti-diuretic hormone causes you to hold on to additional water, and oxytocin causes the contraction of smooth muscle tissue. (You are perhaps more familiar with oxytocin because of its medical use. It is the drug given to pregnant women to induce labor.)

Cigarette smoking increases blood pressure causing the heart to have to work harder, and can damage the lining of blood vessels, triggering atherosclerosis as the body repairs the damage.

Alcohol consumption can contribute to heart disease in a number of ways. In addition to using up nutrients such as magnesium, potassium, zinc & B-vitamins, alcohol also increases blood pressure.  Additionally it raises triglyceride levels, and contributes to diabetes, which is associated with increased risk for heart disease.

Skipping meals leads to insulin resistance, compensatory hyperinsulinemia (when food is finally reintroduced), hypoglycemia, hyperglycemia (NIDDM) and eventually hypertension and heart disease.

Are you a type A person? Do you know the symptoms of Type A personality? The typical Type A person is impatient, angry, competitive, perfectionistic, and workaholic. The Type A person is the one who cannot stand in line waiting for anything. Forget the long lines at the supermarket, the movie theatre. Forget waiting on the subway platform for the train to come. If you are Type A waiting will drive you nuts. Stuck in a traffic jam the Type A person is leaning on the horn, cursing the gods, and ranting at the top of his/her lungs "Why does this happen to me!?"

At first glance it might seem that the link between Type A Behavior and heart disease is related to the busy, workaholic lifestyle. No time to eat properly, grabbing food on the run, or skipping for lack of time. Too much coffee at the beginning of the day to wake up, too many cigarettes during the day, and too much alcohol at the end of the day to unwind with. But in fact, when you control for all of the lifestyle factors you still have a person at higher risk for heart disease. The common denominator? Hostility. Type A people are angry, and it is this emotion that increases risk for heart disease. So what do you think might be going on in the body of a person who is angry? Their stress hormones are flowing. The fight or flight response has been activated. We are angry when we feel threatened.

People often think that overeating is bad because it makes us fat. Actually, overeating is bad because overeating is bad. (Period.)  An excess of food can be detrimental even if you don’t have a weight problem. Imagine for a moment that you decide to throw a party and invite 50 people. Now supposing that 150 people show up. Picture those extra people drinking too much beer, getting into fist fights, putting cigarettes out on the carpet, eating the food that was for your invited guests, and causing all kinds of problems. 

Overeating – whether it involves excess calories, excess carbohydrates, or excess fat – is stressful for every body system. Whatever health problem you have – allergies, asthma – it will get worse if you overeat. Your triglyceride level will go up, your total body fat will go up, your blood sugar will go up, your cholesterol will go up, and your blood pressure will go up. And your energy level will go down. So much blood is diverted to your digestive tract that there is not enough left to feed your brain and keep you awake. As your energy goes down you will get less exercise because you are too tired, and so on and so on. 

Note: simple/refined/processed carbohydrates lower HDL and raise triglycerides & insulin. Exchanging protein for carbohydrate decreases LDL and raises HDL. The diet of the Masai? 1/3 of their energy intake is from protein.

For years we’ve been told that the cause of heart disease is either an excess of fat, or too much saturated fat (the kind found in meats, cheeses, and butter.) It now seems far more likely that part of the problem may be an imbalance of fats. There are certain types of fat that we must have in our diets. They must be obtained from food because the body can’t produce them. They are called essential fatty acids, and there are two main types we need to talk about. Omega 3 and Omega 6. In the body Omega fats are used to produce certain prostaglandins (hormone like substances.) The problem is we tend to get an excess of Omega 6 fatty acids (from things like corn oil, safflower oil) and not enough Omega 3 fatty acids (from fish, nuts, and flaxseed.) Why is that a problem? Omega 6 fats are pro-inflammatory. Omega 3 fats are anti-inflammatory. Atherosclerosis or CAD is in part a disease of inflammation.

Notes: The American diet is relatively deficient in Omega 3 fats. The Omega6-Omega3 ratio is currently 25:1 It should be: 3-5:1  
In human brain cells the ratio is 1:1

If you pick up a packaged product (crackers, cookies) from the supermarket and read the label on the side you will probably learn that the product contains hydrogenated fats. The food industry routinely takes the fats that are going to be added to packaged foods and adds hydrogen to them in the laboratory. This way the fat doesn’t go rancid so quickly and the product will last a long time on the shelf.

The process of hydrogenation causes the molecule to twist over on itself so that the structure of the molecule changes. What starts as a cis formation turns into a trans formation.

Note:  Current Trans fatty acid consumption is estimated to be 13.3 G/person/day.

Oils by nature are highly reactive. They can readily interact with oxygen and go rancid. If you add heat to the equation they go rancid faster. Oils that are used for deep fat frying – things like potato chips, fried chicken, French fries – are used repeatedly, day after day, and rarely changed. Chemicals are formed in the fat that we were not designed to ingest. If you take some of this rancid oil and feed it to baby rats in the laboratory the animals get stomach tumors, liver cancer, stunted growth and some of them actually die.

1. Soluble fiber (pectin) (Not enough fruits, vegetables and sources of soluble fiber in the diet.)
2. Vitamin E    We consume refined white flour products that have been stripped of their vitamin E content.
3. Previously mentioned: low levels of Omega 3, vitamin C, and the mineral magnesium.
4. A hug deficiency. Don’t laugh. We are social animals and we need to be touched. Babies who are not held actually die.

There are individuals who may be more at risk for heart disease because of genetic programming. But keep in mind that your genes still have to interact with the environment. Don’t fall into the trap of believing that a disease is inevitable, or that you are powerless to fight it based on family history.

Homocysteine is considered an independent (non-lipid) risk factor for heart disease. The mechanism seems to be that homocysteine is a jagged molecule. As it passes through your blood vessels the jagged edges may actually scratch and injure the lining of the blood vessels, resulting in the need to lay down "joint compound" to repair the cracks. (As mentioned earlier this is the beginning of plaque formation leading to atherosclerosis.) In some cases high levels of homocysteine are related to genetic programming. In other cases it is related to cigarette smoking. And it can also be caused by nutritional deficiencies of B6, B12, and folic acid.

Actions to take to prevent or reverse heart disease:

Step # one: Follow a heart healthy diet. Which means:

1. Small frequent meals. Don't overeat. Don’t overeat. Don’t overeat. Don't skip meals.
2. Protein should account for 20-35% of total calories. Don’t think for one minute that you should be following a vegetarian diet for the sake of your heart. Yes, you need fruits and vegetables, but you also need protein. Protein raises HDL & lowers triglycerides, balances blood sugar & insulin levels. Aim for have fish two or more times per week, and soy two times per week. Most adults need between 50 and 100 grams of protein per day.
3. High fiber (from fruits, vegetables, nuts, oatmeal, legumes, sweet potatoes.)
4. Antioxidants (found in fruits & vegetables.)
5. Healthy fats: Olive or Canola or Flax seed oil plus small amounts of raw, unsalted nuts.
6. High in alkaline minerals (such as potassium and magnesium, found in fruits & vegetables.)
7. Drink water, club soda, green or black tea. Limit total caffeine and avoid coffee. (Coffee is a major culprit in acid reflux, and should be avoided if you suffer from that problem.)
8. Avoid deep fat fried foods, hydrogenated fats, margarine, processed meats, and most vegetable oils.
9. Supplements: Think ACES. The most important supplements in the prevention of heart disease are the so-called anti-oxidants. Vitamins A, C, E and Selenium.
10. The following are recommended to lower homocysteine levels: 
    B6   12.5 mg.
    B12 500 mcg.
    Folic acid 400 mcg.
    TMG (Trimethylglycine) 1000 mg.

Not sure what your homocysteine level is? Have your physician order the blood test for you on your next visit. In the meantime include B-complex vitamins in your supplement regime. (Couldn’t hurt.)

Step # two:  Exercise

You are a physical being, and there is no way to be totally healthy if you do not engage in a variety of physical activities. Exercise helps with ...

Step# three:  Take control of the stress in your life.

Take appropriate steps to bring your stress down to manageable levels. Type A? Let go of the anger. Take up meditation, yoga, walking. Learn to live life one moment at a time, and to balance work and play.

Step # four:  Monitor your blood pressure

Buy a blood pressure cuff and take periodic readings.  If you have high blood pressure take appropriate steps to bring it down.  Appropriate steps include weight reduction, quitting smoking, learning meditation or relaxation techniques, eliminate or cut back on alcohol.  Click on the link below for additional information.
How to Lower your Blood Pressure

Some supplements known to lower your blood pressure:
Potassium, Magnesium, garlic, CoQ10, Hawthorn, Motherwort, l'arginine

 How to Lower your Cholesterol (but only if you need to.)

How to get rid of the plaque that is already there.

 Supplements for angina or intermittent claudication:

Natural blood thinners:
ginkgo biloba, vitamin E, garlic & onion, Omega 3 fatty acids, ginger, magnesium, Dong Quai, glycosaminoglycans (a.k.a. chondroitan sulfate It is Similar to Heparin without the side effects.)

Heart Tonics:

 Supplements for Arrhythmia:

(Caution: Beta blockers are a major cause of heart arrhythmia.)

 Supplements for congestive heart failure

(Caution: Beta blockers and cholesterol lowering drugs are major causes of congestive heart failure. If you are currently on either of these medications you should also be on supplemental Co-Q10 )

Nutrients & Nutraceuticals in the prevention and treatment of Heart Disease

Herbs in the prevention and treatment of Heart Disease

Arjuna (Terminala arjuna) [Ayurvedic]
Used to treat all forms of heart disease, especially arrhythmia, congestive heart failure. Useful for cardiomyopathy. No adverse effects reported.
Typical dose: capsules: 1-3 g/day. For congestive heart failure 500 mg extract 4 X day has been used in studies.

Garlic (Allium sativum)
The average daily dose is 4 gms of fresh garlic
Actions & Uses: Lowers cholesterol. Dosage - 600-900 mg powder daily. Lowers blood pressure. Dosage: 200-300 mg powder daily (standardized to 1.3% alliin) Blood thinner.

Ginkgo biloba
Uses:  Effective for angina. Blood thinner.
Dosage: typical: 120 mg/day
Adverse reactions: Low toxicity. Spontaneous subdural hematomas; bleeding into anterior chamber of the eye when used in combination with other platelet inhibitors, such as aspirin.
Interactions: Hypothetical Interaction with MAO inhibitors (antidepressants) at high doses. If patient ingests foods with a high concentration of tyramine (cheese & red wine) or sympathomimetics, there is a remote possibility of hypertensive crisis.
Contraindications: Concomitant use of blood thinners. Note: Preoperative protocol: Stop use 1 week prior to surgery.

Hawthorne (Crataegus Oxycantha)
Strengthens the heart muscle. Effective for Stage II heart failure.
Lowers blood pressure. Pharmacologically active flavonoids inhibit vasoconstriction and actively dilate blood vessels. One flavonoid is an ace inhibitor.
Drug Interactions: Contains cardiac glycosides that may potentiate digoxin.

Motherwort (Leonurus Cardiaca)
Medicinal parts: fresh aerial parts collected during flowering season
Active constituents: Monoterpenes, flavonoids, leocardin, leonurin, tannins, volatile oil.
Actions & Uses: Nervous cardiac disorders, palpitations, and depression. Anticlotting effect. Lowers blood pressure.
Daily dosage: 4.5 gm herb; liquid extract: 2-4 ml 3X day; tincture: 2-6 ml daily.
Contraindications: pregnancy

Red Raspberry (Rubus idaeus)
Medicinal parts: leaves and fruit
Active constituents: Tannins, flavonoids, and vitamin C.
Actions & uses: Reported to lower blood pressure.
Dosage: Typically used as a tea or infusion.

Additional Herbs for high blood pressure:
Barberry     Black Cohosh     Buckwheat      Cayenne     Mistletoe      Onion
Parsley     Peppermint     Red Clover      Skull Cap     Valerian      Yarrow

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© 2002-2006 jstorm

"The information presented here is for educational purposes only, and is not intended to replace an individualized consultation with a qualified health professional."