Posts Tagged ‘Atherosclerosis’
Reduce Your Cardiac Risk Factors
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The leading cause of death in the Western world is atherosclerosis. As we age seniors low density lipoproteins (LDLs) become oxidized, which results in the oxidized LDLs accumulating on arterial walls. This accumulation of oxidized LDLs on the arterial walls causes hardening of the arteries. Recent research has shown that in seniors the high density lipoproteins (HDLs) that normally prevent the LDLs from becoming oxidized are not able to perform this function. The researchers suspect that as we age one of the HDL’s helper enzymes, known as paraoxynase (PON-1), drops to a lower level in the blood. PON-1 is produced in the liver and after it is released into the blood it attaches to the HDL, in order to assist the HDL to inhibit the buildup of lipoperoxides in LDL cholesterol.
The researchers have demonstrated that there is a correlation between folks with low blood levels of PON-1 and cardiovascular disease risk. Seniors need to counter the age related drop in PON-1 levels in the blood by raising their PON-1 levels. It turns out that there are several substances that have been found to boost PON-1 levels. Pomegranate and its extracts have shown to increase the PON-1 levels in the blood by a large amount. Two other potential PON-1 boosters have been identified as quercetin and resveratrol. This is good news for seniors who are concerned about taking preemptive aging steps to support their cardiovascular health by reducing their cardiac risk.
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Weakened Immune System Promotes Infection
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As seniors age their immune systems decline leaving them more susceptible to a host of infections including those from viruses, fungi, and bacteria. In the case of cancer cells unless the immune system inactivates them or kills them, they will spread and develop into a fully developed malignant tumor. Studies of the pathology of free radicals has shown the link between the damage caused by free radicals and the weakened immune system in aging seniors. For example between 1982 and 1992 deaths due to infectious diseases increased by 22% according to a report in a major American medical publication. The same publication laid much of the blame for this increase on lack of preventative health care.
The good news that seniors can take from this report is that they can take preemptive steps about how to boost immune system. The lack of preventative health care can be reversed by taking simple preemptive aging measures for building immune system. One of the most important steps that seniors can take is to follow a daily antioxidant regimen that includes fruits, vegetables, vitamins, and minerals that protect against free radical pathologies that suppress the immune system. It turns out that free radical pathologies have been implicated in most of the disease processes of aging. The main disease processes of aging include cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, atherosclerosis, and cataracts as well as other degenerative diseases.
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Why Is Oatmeal So Good for Your Heart?
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Over ten years ago the FDA affirmed that consuming oatmeal may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, but recent research confirms that conclusion and actually amplifies it. The health benefits of consuming wholegrain oats are even greater than originally discovered. In a recent article researchers point out that in the years since the FDA granted a ‘heart healthy’ claim for oats, new research has shown that consuming oats and oat-based products reduces total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL). Consumption of oats does not produce adverse effects on the high density lipoprotein (HDL) or on the triglycerides.
When consumption of oats and oat-based products is combined with a healthy lifestyle-management program the results in terms of health benefits can extend beyond just reducing total cholesterol and LDL. These extended benefits may include a reduced risk of diabetes, a decreased trend to obesity, and a reduced risk of atherosclerosis. The way that oats might reduce the risk of atherosclerosis would be by favorably modifying the subclass and particle number of LDL. This is excellent news for seniors who are concerned about taking preemptive aging steps against age-related diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
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Preemptive Steps Against Cardiovascular Disease
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The modern drugs that are used to treat cardiovascular disease are well known, but the modern nutritional approach to preempt cardiovascular disease is not as well known. The term cardiovascular disease is a very general term used to cover a set of conditions that are ultimately caused by atherosclerosis. Until recently atherosclerosis was simply known as “hardening of the arteries” that appeared in folks who ate too much fat and got too little exercise. Today it is known that one of the earliest triggers for artherosclerosis is oxidant damage to fat molecules. This damage alerts the immune system that swings into action, but one of the results is inflammation. These are the initial steps in a cascade of events that produce the deadly final stage of cardiovascular disease.
The medical countermeasures against cardiovascular disease are aimed at establishing the proper balance between the levels of high-density lipoproteins (HDL) and the low-density lipoproteins (LDL). Typically this means increasing the HDLs and decreasing the LDLs and triglycerides. It turns out that recent medical research has discovered a “third great wave” of cardiovascular disease prevention in terms of anti-inflammatory agents and antioxidants. This new approach offers the same benefits as the earlier approaches, but with far fewer side effects which is good news for promoting senior health against cardiovascular disease.
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Thwart 2 Allies of Cardiovascular Disease!
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Today among Americans coronary heart disease is a leading cause of death due to heart attacks. The key contributor to coronary heart disease is the development of atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis develops in the arteries when there is an imbalance of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) compared with the high-density lipoprotein (HDL). Both types need to be properly balanced in the optimum ratio required for managing cholesterol in our arteries. If too much LDL is present and not enough HDL is present, then the path to atherosclerosis is wide open. As the level of LDL increases the risk of heart disease increases. High levels of LDL are an ally of cardiovascular disease.
Oxidized LDL is a second ally of cardiovascular disease. Oxidized LDL starts inflammatory processes that lead to the process that clogs arteries. Additionally oxidized LDL interferes with white blood cells resulting in a continuous build up of oxidized LDL in the artherosclerotic plaque. Fortunately for seniors there are steps that can be taken to thwart the allies of atherosclerosis that foster cardiovascular disease. A form of CoQ10 has been shown to protect against LDL oxidation provided it is in the form of ubiquinol CoQ10. The nutrient that has demonstrated the best anti-LDL oxidation effects is none other than pomegranate. In terms of choosing a means to achieve preemptive aging against atherosclerosis pomegranate stands in first place.
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